


My Way Home

by roses_for_marianne



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-05-26 08:11:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14996576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roses_for_marianne/pseuds/roses_for_marianne
Summary: Serena is nothing like her mother, neither talented nor passionate at anything. She's basically been coddled by her mother all her life, but all good things must come to an end. For Serena, that end came with her mother's death.With the rise of androids, the world she lives in has become even more cruel and unforgiving. Serena doesn't believe she'll be able to make anything out of herself and is trapped in a deep depression she calls "realism".Left on her own, Serena's uncle, Hank Anderson, takes her under his wing and gives her a paying job at the DPD he works at. There, she encounters all sorts of characters; from the good - to the extremely irritating. Her new life in the metropolitan area of Detroit begins to differ greatly from her slow, yet easy-going life in the suburbs.Her entire world changes upon her introduction to Connor, the new RK800 prototype, who is her uncle's new partner. He unknowingly reshapes her attitude towards life, and even her understanding of androids themselves. Serena starts to learn how it feels to truly be alive... from the one source she could have never expected it from.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first Detroit: Become Human fanfiction and, since I don't have a PS4, I have to watch other people's playthroughs.
> 
> Serena is portrayed by Nastya Kusakina, but with white hair and black roots instead of blonde hair.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the funeral and Serena can barely cope... alone.

What was life anymore?

Did anyone know? 

Serena found herself asking that very question as she watched her mother being lowered into a hole in the ground. She felt like crying, but no tears came up when she tried to summon them. An arm wrapped itself around her shoulder, a hand roughly gripping it. She didn’t have to look in order to know it was her uncle, Hank Anderson. Besides, she didn’t want to peel her eyes away from her mom, or rather, what used to be her.

“...You gonna be okay, kid?”

 _Not really._ Serena wanted to tell him, but couldn’t find her voice.

Her entire life her mom had supported her, both emotionally and financially. Ever since she was little, she could remember her mother sacrificing everything to keep her happy; whether it be her time, her money, or her own health. Serena felt like she didn’t deserve it sometimes. Her mother was an amazing person, but herself? She was a nobody. Neither passionate nor competent at anything.

She inherited their two bedroom trailer (that she had for a remaining month), her wardrobe, and a little over two grand that was supposed to be Serena’s college fund. The rest of their money went to paying off both her and her mom’s medical bills and funding the funeral (which her uncle had helped her with). Things had gotten so bad, she was forced to do the last thing she ever wanted to do; sell some of her mom’s jewelry which were priceless family heirlooms in order to pay it all off.

Serena gulped before asking, “What am I going to do now, Uncle Hank?” His grip around her shoulder tightened and he pulled her closer to him.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re coming to Detroit to live with me.” For the first time since the funeral started, she tore her eyes off her mom’s grave to look at him with confusion and doubt.

“What about our house? And everything in it?” Hank’s lips curved upwards into a reassuring smile.

“Eh, like I said, don’t worry about it. Most of that’s going in storage anyways.” 

“What about her stuff?”

“You can go through her things and keep a couple of the ones you like.” Serena closed her eyes for a moment before asking him one last question.

“H-how long do I have?”

“Well, it’ll take at least a week for the guys to get everything moved. You should probably start packing your stuff once you get home. I’ll tell you when we’re ready.”

“Okay, Uncle Hank.”

* * *

The funeral lasted for a few more hours. Only a handful of people attended. Mostly her co-workers, friends, and the little remaining family she had left.

Serena sighed as there wasn’t a sign of her “father” around. She could hear her uncle cursing under his breath as he drank (what she presumed to be) alcohol from his flask a considerable distance away from the others. 

“That son of a bitch… Even when she’s dead, he refuses to show his deadbeat ass. If I ever see his worthless fucking face again, I’m gonna—”

“— _we’re_ gonna gut him.”

Hank spun around, face full of regret, as soon as he realized his niece was next to him.

“Y-yeah. Sorry, kid. Didn’t mean to—” Serena raised a hand to show him it was alright.

“It’s okay. I wanna curse him out too.”

Serena had never known her father. She was told by her uncle that he’d skipped out on her mom since she told him she was pregnant. The only support he’d send was some money every now and then as he was ordered to by court. Serena had never met him and never wanted to. He was dead to her and the only person she had close to a father was her uncle.

“I don’t wanna drop this all on you, but— Goddammit! That piece of—”

She did something he didn’t expect and encased him in a hug.

“—shit. Yeah, I know. It’s okay, Uncle Hank. Let it all out.” He let out a chuckle and patted her on the back.

“Shit, kid, _I’m_ supposed to be the one comforting _you_ , not the other way around.” She let go and gave him a smile. Her first one after today.

“It’s _fine_. Who’s watching?” Hank pointed to the other people who had been staring at the two, but quickly went back to talking amongst themselves when they found their eyes staring back. 

“They kinda are.” Serena jokingly scoffed.

“Yeah, but who gives a fuck? Seriously.” That managed to get a chuckle out of him.

“Okay, I'm startin' to think _m_ _aybe_ your mom was right when she said I was a negative influence in your life. You curse way too much and you definitely didn’t learn it from her.” She scoffed a second time.

“Oh please, she was kidding!” She paused for a brief second before continuing in a slightly more serious tone. “Besides, at least you _were_ an influence in my life.” He looked around awkwardly before scratching the back of his neck.

“You really know how to make a guy feel guilty. Must get that from your mother too.”

Serena remembered the time her uncle told her it was _him_ who introduced her father to her mom. He was extremely remorseful after he’d found out her father had abandoned them. When she asked her mom if she resented her uncle for it, her mom answered,

“No. Maybe once, a long time ago, before you were born, but not now. If I never met your father, I never would have met you, so… I’m _grateful_.” 

Her fingers combed through her long white locks. 

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to. You know she never hated you for it, right?” Her uncle sighed and looked out of a nearby window, not making eye contact. 

“Yeah… I know. Doesn’t mean I ever forgave myself for it though.”

“You mean you regret I was born?” Her tone wasn’t serious in the slightest, but he immediately met her cerulean blue eyes and shook his head rapidly from side to side.

“Fuck no! That’s not what I meant!” Serena laughed in response. 

“I’m just joking, uncle. I know that’s not what you meant.” Hank sighed in relief and wagged a finger at her. 

“You and your mother sure love to torture me.” 

They then shared a heartfelt laugh on this tragic day. Something they both clearly needed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to leave everything that Serena once loved and knew... behind.

**DATE:** **NOV 1ST, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 01:29:13**

A little more than a week had passed since then. Day by day, movers came by to get most of their furniture and unwanted belongings to put them in storage. Come the following Monday and the trailer was almost completely empty, save for the major appliances and a few suitcases full of Serena’s things. She also used that time to eat whatever remained in the fridge and pantry, which was nothing more than half a loaf of bread and a near empty jar of peanut butter and jelly, two cans left of a six-pack of root beer, and leftovers from their last family dinner her mom cooked for her and her uncle before she passed away.

Earlier this morning, she got a phone call from her uncle, informing her that he’d be arriving this afternoon. She patiently waited for him, sitting on the floor of her empty living room, catching up with the news on her tablet. The trailer she called home for more than six years or so never felt so empty before. It ceased to be the home she once knew.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she answered within two rings, assuming it to be her uncle.

“Hey, kid.” said Hank’s voice on the other side of the line. “I’m outside. You got everything?”

“Yup. I’ll be right out. It’d be nice if you helped me carry out the big stuff.”

“Alright, I’m on it.” He hung up and she could hear the sound of a car door opening and shutting from outside.

Serena picked herself off the wooden floor and opened the door for her uncle. He greeted her with an awkward smile and wave. She pointed to the large suitcase propped up against the wall. He groaned and rolled his head, but carried the suitcase from the room into his trunk. Serena slung her rucksack over her shoulder, then proceeded to wheel out the rolling suitcase, not forgetting to lock the door behind her. Once all of her belongings were in the car, she hopped in the passenger seat of her uncle’s vehicle.

“Ready to leave this place behind?” Hank asked as he turned on the ignition. It prompted a sigh from her.

“...I guess?” she replied very hesitantly.

As the car left the driveway, Serena took one last look at her previous home. On the way out of the trailer park, they stopped by the owner’s office to drop off the key.

* * *

It was going to be about a two hour ride and she wasn’t quite the “talkative” type. It wasn’t as if she disliked chatting, but she normally had no idea on how to start a conversation. Between the two of them, it was a miracle they talked at all. Most of the ride was filled with background noise of cars zooming by, the wind whirling past them, and the loud screaming coming from the radio Hank called music.

“You’re gonna love Detroit, kid, being a ‘big city’ type of girl and all… Remember the times you came to visit me and always asked us to take you downtown?”

A blush overtook Serena’s cheeks as embarrassment was her main emotion.

“Y-yeah… Mom would always say it was too dangerous.”

“And then you’d come crying to me, asking me to go babysit you there.” A content sigh left his lips as a wave of nostalgia came over him. “Christ, how many times did I fall for that?”

Serena chuckled as she answered, “ _Every_ time.” He joined her in laughing.

“Damn, you were a handful then, but look at you now. You’re your own woman.” Serena’s eyes traveled the opposite direction of him and she blankly gazed out the window.

“...How? I’m not good at anything. I barely helped Mom with the bills. It took me so long to find a job, but how am I going to find one in Detroit of all places?”

She didn’t want to say, but especially with the rise of androids, jobs have become even more scarce nowadays. What chance did a talentless woman like her have?

“Hey, don’t talk like that. I’ve got it covered.” She looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

“I got you a paid internship at the DPD where I work. You start this Thursday.” She was taken aback. This was highly unexpected considering about the things she heard from her uncle about the Detroit City Police Department.

“How the hell did you manage that?”

“Be grateful. I _hated_ having to play kiss ass to Jeffrey for that, but your mother would drag me all the way to Hell herself if I didn’t try to help you. She might have seemed like an angel to you, but, trust me, she’s the Devil when she needs to be, and I _do not_ want something like that on my ass, hear me?”

“Loud and clear.” Serena herself could remember some of the times where her mother showed her devilish side (never to her though). “Thank you, Uncle Hank. I really appreciate it. I won’t let you down.” She made sure not to say the words, “I promise” as she knew there was a high probability she wouldn’t keep it.

“Better not. I worked hard to get you that job and I expect you to work even harder to keep it. At least now, when I eventually bite the bullet, I could tell your mother I tried.” Serena’s lips pressed flat and she scrunched her eyebrows together.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You’re welcome.” Hank replied with a smirk on his face.

* * *

Serena’s eyes roamed the neighborhood that was going to be a regular sight from now on. As they pulled up to Hank’s driveway, she thought about what she was going to do now, living with her uncle. He said she would work as an intern, but for how long, she wondered. Hank didn’t seem to notice his niece’s state of mind as he yanked the key from the ignition, rolled up the windows, and went to remove her suitcases from the trunk. She took her rucksack that she put at her feet in the car and strapped it on her back.

“Serena.” She turned to Hank, who threw his keys at her. They slipped through her hands and fell at her feet. She picked them right back up. “Oh yeah, you were always terrible at catch. Anyways, go unlock the door.” With a nod of the head, she faced the entrance of his home. The keys slid in perfectly and there was a sound of locks clicking in place. She swung the door open and held it there so it’d be easier for them to move her things inside. Once the door was open, she heard barking.

“Sumo!”

Serena was greeted by the friendly face of her uncle’s Saint Bernard. He appeared right behind the door as it swung open, like an obedient dog waiting for his owner. She absolutely adored him, despite her fear of large dogs. She could recall the first time she met him years ago.

Her uncle’s grunting behind her caught her attention and she stopped herself from petting Sumo.

“Need some help?”

Hank hoisted her largest suitcase out of the trunk and had trouble laying it down, almost slamming it on the pavement due to its weight.

“Hell yeah, I’m not moving this crap all by myself. It’s your junk.”

She set her rucksack on the couch in the living room before running over to one side of the big suitcase. Hank got the other side and they managed to lift it from the ground into the middle of his living room. He took the time to regain his breath.

“Damn, that’s heavy… You can get the other one by yourself, right?” She gave a nod and went back to the car. It was a rolling suitcase and not as hefty as the previous one, so it was fairly easy for her to lift it out and roll it inside. She shut the trunk and closed the door behind her as she went inside.

The house felt much different from her last home. Although it was moderately furnished, it just felt _empty_. It was the home of a person who became half a man… and she knew the exact reason why as her eyes fell upon the door of the bedroom she would be staying in.

Her cousin, Cole, meant _everything_ to her uncle. His wife left him and things were bitter between them, but he had his son, who he loved above all else. Before his passing, she remembered a much different man.

* * *

A teenage girl roams a playground overlooking a bridge seeming to be looking for someone, sporting shoulder-length raven hair and a white floral dress. A brown haired toddler with a bright green baseball shirt and denim shorts is hiding under a colorful playset. Two adults, a police officer with short brown hair and a woman with long platinum blonde hair, wearing a white lace dress, observe the two from a short distance away, sitting at a picnic table with dirty paper plates, disposable utensils, and multiple containers of tupperware with remnants of food sprawled around. They appear content to watch.

The girl calls the boy’s name multiple times. The blonde chuckles and calls out to her.

“Serenity dear, keep looking! He’s closer than you think!” The teenager glances at her mother once and rests her hands on her hips, seemingly frustrated. She walks around the playground once again, eventually finding her cousin hiding underneath.

They play around for a little while before heading towards the swingset. The small boy is unable to sit on the swing and he asks his cousin beside him to help.

“It’s too high! Can you help me, Serena?”

She tries, but becomes disgruntled when she’s unable to lift him up high enough. She waves over to her mom and uncle.

“Uncle Hank! Cole wants to go on the swing, but I can’t lift him! He’s too heavy!”

Hank gives her a smile and walks towards them. He hoists his son steadily onto the swing and starts pushing him on it. Seeing that her cousin is happy, Serena sits on the other swing and starts swinging herself.

“Want me to push you too, Serena?” She looks a tad embarrassed before answering.

“Yes, please.”

“Alright then.”

Hank continues to push both his son and niece on the swings as his sister continues to merely watch with a smile plastered on her face.

* * *

Serena couldn’t help but feel guilty, knowing that she’d be occupying her cousin’s old bedroom. Hank plopped his tired body on the couch and turned on the television.

“Go ahead and put all your stuff in Cole’s room. Start unpacking. You’re gonna be here a while…”

Nothing was said while she moved her things in the room at the end of the hall one by one. When she opened it, she noticed that barely nothing had changed since she’d last been in it years ago. It was expected of him to leave his room as he last left it and now, she was going to be living in it… Her mom must have some insanely strong hold on Hank for him to let Serena into his son’s room, she thought.

She looked around the room one last time to memorize it before she’d ruin it forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her second day as an intern has her meet various different characters, specifically two: one she'd rather never encounter again and one who she finds herself strangely attracted to.

**DATE: NOV 5TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 11:07:42**

Serena’s first day at the DPD was without incident. She was shown how to perform her duties by an android acting as one of the police receptionists. The next day, however, everything had gone down the shitter upon meeting _him_. Now she understood why her uncle was so bitter about his job sometimes.

The problem went by the name of Gavin Reed. He was an arrogant, impolite, loud-mouthed, obnoxious prick. Hell, the first words he said to her gave her an urge to rip the man’s throat out _with her teeth_.

She went to grab a file on her uncle’s desk that he asked her to retrieve when _he_ decided to grace her with his presence. The first sound that came out of his mouth was a wolf whistle. Oh yes, she knew she’d hate his guts with a burning passion.

“This the new intern? Anderson’s kid, right?”

“His _niece_.” she corrected him, barely able to keep the vile tone from her voice. Luckily, he was as intelligent as a brick and failed to pick up on it. He clicked his tongue, offering his hand to shake. Not having any other choice, she shook it, wanting to thoroughly wash her hands afterwards.

“Detective Gavin Reed.” Seeing as he was above her and it would be rude not to, she was forced to give this asshole her name.

“Serenity Branwen. Nice to meet you.” It really wasn’t as she was suppressing a scowl that worsened the longer he was in her company.

“Serenity, huh? Fancy name.” She resisted the urge to roll her eyes all the way to the back of her head. He pointed to her hair shining brilliantly with the lights radiating down her, allowing the dark raven roots to stand out. “What’s with the hair?”

“Why? Something wrong with it?”

“Just that no normal person would dye their hair white.”

“Glad I’m not normal then.” Her hands quickly snatched the desired file from the desk and she turned her back towards him. “Anyways, good talk. Bye now.” Then he had the nerve to grab her by the wrist, making her blood boil even more.

“Hey, hey, hey, wait! The hell you going? I was talking to you!” His cocky demeanor and generally shit personality was really starting to piss her off more than it already did. All she wanted to do was push him off and deliver a well-deserved fist to his cheek, hopefully knocking out all of his teeth. Instead, she maintained her cool composure and attempted to wriggle her wrist out of his grasp.

“Yes, we _were_ talking. Now we aren’t. Happy to clear that up for you. Now if you would please excuse me, I need to get this folder to my uncle and I’d rather not be tardy.” However, he wouldn’t let go of her even after her polite refusal. He only tightened his grip on her wrist.

“ _No one_ walks away from me.”

“Detective Gavin, just what the hell are you doing?”

Good Lord, she was _saved!_ To say she was relieved to see Captain Fowler was a massive understatement. Upon seeing him, Gavin’s eyes widened like dinner plates and he immediately let go of her. She tenderly rubbed the area where he held her because it slightly ached.

“Our new intern is _not_ your plaything and I don’t want to see you mistreating her any longer. I wonder what Lieutenant Anderson will do when he finds out.” Gavin visually grit his teeth. “Get back to your station, pronto.”

“Yes, sir.” he responded, disgruntled. She took joy in his misery. He glared at her once more before reluctantly walking away. She hid her hands behind her back so no one would be able to see the middle finger she was giving him.

“I’m sorry about that. This is not a regular occurrence in this station, I promise you.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t shown up.”

“Think nothing of it. By the way, speaking of your uncle, I need to ask you where he is.” Fowler stepped aside to show the android behind him. “This is his new partner.”

Serena took a good long look at the male android… In fact, it was hard to stop. He was very attractive, clean cut with short dark brown hair and brown eyes. He sported a semi-formal grey jacket that displayed his model and serial numbers on his right breast, a white button-up shirt, black tie, dark jeans, and dark grey dress shoes.

Appearing not to be disturbed by her excessive staring, the android offered to shake her hand, which she accepted. “Hi, my name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife to accompany Lieutenant Anderson. Would you happen to know where I could find him?”

“Knowing Hank, he’s out drinking his weight in liquor.” commented Fowler, getting a giggle out of Serena.

“You know him well, sir. He’s at Jimmy’s Bar right now. I was just on my way to deliver this folder to him.” A finger tapped on the navy blue folder underneath her armpit.

“Great. Why don’t you let it tag along?” he asked, referring to Connor.

She knew the reason why most addressed androids with the “it” pronoun, but she never did. They were meant to imitate humans, meaning there were both male and female androids and she referred to each by their respective gender. Besides, she could never imagine calling something that appeared human “it”. Her uncle held a deep resentment for them (since Cole’s death), so he was no different than the majority. She herself didn’t hold any strong opinions towards them, although there was a fear that they would eventually overtake everything, and normally treated them like any other human.

“Okay.” She awkwardly met Connor’s gaze and motioned him to follow her. “Come with me.” He politely nodded and trailed behind her like a lost puppy as they exited the station.

An annoyed groan unintentionally escaped her lips when she saw that it was pouring because she didn’t have an umbrella on her. Like a true gentleman, Connor removed his jacket and hung it over her head and shoulders. It made her wonder if he was also programmed to be desirable to women in general. Damn CyberLife for making their androids so good-looking.

“You sure?”

“Of course. The precipitation doesn’t bother me as much as it does you. The jacket is also quick to dry. After all, you are holding papers and we wouldn’t want them to get damp.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

The walk from DPD Central Station to Jimmy’s Bar was approximately twelve minutes long. She mostly kept to herself, not knowing what to say. Possible conversation starters floated in her mind, but she lacked the charisma to break the ice. Fortunately, she didn’t have to.

“Lieutenant Anderson is your uncle, correct?” She was a little surprised he spoke first.

“Yes. My mom’s older brother.”

“Do you and your parents live around here?” The question stirred a few unpleasant emotions within her and he picked up on it. “I seem to have caused you unnecessary emotional distress. I apologize.”

“It’s fine. I live with my uncle now.”

“I see. Do you like your accommodations?”

“I’ve only been here for a week, but, so far? I suppose.” He raised an eyebrow in doubt, but didn’t question her any further on that topic.

“That’s good. How about your internship with the DPD?” Her long white hair flew everywhere as she whipped her head towards him, who walked beside her.

“How did you...”

“I scanned your face and ran it through the Detroit City Police Department’s online database. Branwen, Serenity, born March 20, 2016. You began work as a paid police intern yesterday.”

“I… see… Well… other than what happened today, it’s been… okay, I guess.” Connor scrunched his eyebrows together, taking note of the hesitant tone in her voice, but not pushing her on it.

“Are you referring to with what happened with Detective Reed?”

“Yup.”

“I must say, I admire the way you remained calm in spite of his growing aggressiveness.” She didn’t mean to snort when she did.

“Trust me, it was really hard not to kick him where it hurt.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Because I kinda don’t want to lose this job on the second day.”

“Understood.”

* * *

The large neon sign in front of them read “Jimmy’s Bar”. There was another sign with the name of the place on the door, along with a sign barring entry to both androids and canines. Hank favored the bar because it didn’t allow androids inside. Serena’s cerulean blue eyes traveled back and forth between Connor and the door.

“Oh, uh, do you want me to go get him and come back?”

“No, I’ve been assigned a task and must speak to him myself.” He brushed past her, opening the door and entering first.

“Okay then. Your choice.” she said, following right behind him.

The inside was small and dingy, with people seeming to be of questionable backstories occupying it. There was a Detroit basketball game being played on the only television at the end of the bar. Connor began to roam around, presumably scanning faces, but she halted him and pointed to her uncle sitting at the bar, sipping at a glass half empty.

“Shit, I thought androids weren’t allowed in here!” a man complained.

The pair then walked up to him together, with Connor introducing himself first.

“Lieutenant Anderson, my name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the station, but you weren’t there. I was lucky to have run into your niece, Serenity. She assisted me in locating you.”

When he dropped Serena’s birth name, Hank spun around to find her next to Connor, a guilty look on her face. Although he found it strange she was wearing the android’s jacket, he released a sigh and went back to his drink.

“What do you want?”

“You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android.” Connor droned on, but Hank was clearly uninterested with whatever he had to say. “In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators.”

“Well, I don’t need any assistance. ‘Specially not from a plastic asshole like you. So just be a good lil’ robot and get the fuck outta here. ...Can’t believe my own niece sold me out to a fuckin’ android.”

“Listen, I think you should stop drinking and come with me. It’ll make life easier for both of us.” Hank simply bobbed his head up and down and took another swig from his glass. “I understand some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids, but I am—”

“I am perfectly comfortable…” Hank said, as he sipped from his glass and swirled the contents around in his hand. “Now back off, before I crush you like an empty beer can.”

She mentally sighed, knowing perfectly how stubborn and rude her uncle could be regarding androids. What would Connor do next, she wondered.

“You know what? I’ll buy you one for the road. What do you say?” he responded, surprising both of them. “Bartender, the same again, please!” The African American male turned around, bewildered to find an android not only in his bar, but asking for a drink.

“See that, Jim? Wonders of technology… Make it a double.” Jimmy refilled his glass halfway with the same reddish liquor. Hank chugged the drink and exhaled before looking back at Connor. “Did you say a homicide?”

“Yes. We’re expected at 23368 Reynolds Avenue.”

Hank got up from his barstool with a grunt and faced the door. “Alright, let’s go.” He looked back at his niece. “Since you got me the file and your lil’ plastic friend here bought me another drink, I guess I can forgive you for selling me out.” He led them outside, in front of a black vintage car with police lights out front. “Both of ya, get in the car. Serena, you’re sitting up front. Go put that thing in the glovebox, would you?”

“Sure thing, Uncle Hank.” she said, complying with him. She hopped into the passenger’s seat and opened up the glove compartment to stow the folder inside. As soon as they were buckled, Hank drove them to the crime scene.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serena is brought to the crime scene, but doesn't have the guts, nor the permission, to enter. After the deviant is handled, she takes a trip to the store, bumping into two homeless females: an android maid and a little girl.

**DATE: NOV 5TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 11:37:53**

The siren wailed, but it was drowned out by the loud heavy metal music blaring from the radio. The neighborhood they drove to was unsightly and the house surrounded by cops even more so. The road was littered with vehicles, both police and civilian, along with an ambulance. Red and blue strobe lights lit the street along with some headlights that were on, allowing them to see the crowd that stood in front of the house easier. Hank parallel parked his car along the street and looked at Connor and Serena whilst he shut off the radio.

“You two stay here. I won’t be long.”

“My instructions are to accompany you to the crime scene, Lieutenant.” stated Connor.

“Listen, I don’t give a fuck about your instructions. I told you to wait here, so you shut the fuck up and you wait here. Look after my niece.” Connor stayed silent, so Hank exited the car and walked to the house. Connor disobeyed his order and left the car soon after. To her surprise, he opened her car door.

“What are you doing?”

“I must follow him, but he ordered me to look after you.” Serena sighed and shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what to do. She decided to go along with him and took an old umbrella from the car, having given Connor back his jacket.

“Joss Douglas, for Channel 16. Can you confirm that this is a homicide?” a reporter asked Hank.

“I’m not confirming anything.” he replied.

“Have they said anything?” someone asked.

“Typical DPD… They don’t tell us shit!” another whined.

The two of them went up to the crime scene, but were stopped by a policeman who held up a hand to halt them. She could see her uncle speaking with another cop in front of them.

“Androids and civilians are not permitted beyond this point.” She could hear Hank groan and turn around to see them.

“They’re with me.”

The policeman dropped his hand and allowed them through. There was a bad feeling rising up in the pit of her stomach as they caught up with her uncle.

“What part of ‘stay in the car’ didn’t you two understand?” he asked them.

“Your order to remain in the car contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant.” Hank looked over to his niece.

“And you?”

“You did order me to look after her, and I can’t do that if she’s in the car.” Connor answered for her. Hank groaned again.

“You.” His eyes were on Serena. “Stay outside.” He then glanced at Connor. “You don’t talk, you don’t touch anything and you stay outta my way, got it?”

“Got it.” quickly replied Connor.

“Evening, Hank.” a middle-aged officer greeted, approaching them from the porch. “We were starting to think you weren’t gonna show.”

“Yeah, that was the plan until this asshole found me.”

“So… you got yourself an android, huh?”

“Oh, very funny.” The officer pointed to Serena.

“Who’s she?”

“My niece.”

“And why is she here?” Hank motioned to Connor.

“Its idea. She won’t be following us inside. Just tell me what happened.” The cop began to walk away, towards the house, with Hank and Connor in tow.

“We had a call around eight from the landlord. The tenant hadn’t paid his rent for a few months, so he thought he’d drop by, see what was going on… That’s when he found the body.”

Having been left alone for the second time today in less than five minutes, Serena shuffled her feet and let her eyes roam the crime scene. From the outside alone, she could tell the tenant hadn’t taken good care of this place. The paint on the walls was very much chipped, revealing the cracked wood infrastructure. The lawn was wild and the fence containing it had missing planks. When she stepped closer, a foul stench assaulted her nostrils. She’d never smelt it before, but recognized it as the smell of death. It made her sick to her stomach and she instinctively stepped back a few feet away, but didn’t leave for fear she wouldn’t be let back inside.

“How come that girl’s allowed in?” she could hear someone complaining.

“Probably has connections with the police.” another answered.

“Or is fucking one of them from the looks of her.” a man commented.

She whipped her head towards the source of the voice and glared at him angrily.

“Hey, I can hear you.” The man sneered.

“Great, you have ears.”

“ _Great_ , you’re an asswipe.” she mocked. The guy tried to approach her, but was stopped by the same policeman from before.

“Civilians are not allowed past.”

“Bitch.” he retorted. She gave him a cocky smirk, knowing she was safe in here.

“Why don’t you come say that to my face— Oh wait, you can’t.” Her delight rose upon seeing the asswipe getting angrier by the second. She wasn’t completely stupid though, and sat on the porch, trying not to pick a fight. The middle-aged cop that led her uncle and Connor inside came back outside and smiled before walking towards the lawn and taking deep breaths in and out.

Several minutes passed before she could hear yelling inside, mostly from her uncle. Four policemen then exited the house with a black male android in custody with his hands cuffed behind his back. Hank and Connor followed soon after. She stood up from the porch and asked them what happened.

“We caught the damn thing.” Hank informed her. “It was hiding in the attic after it killed its owner.”

“That’s weird. I wonder why he didn’t run away.”

“Same thing we’re wondering, but we’re gonna get all the answers we can outta that plastic heap.” He turned to her. “But first, let’s get you home.”

Hank and Serena walked out of the crime scene together with Connor obediently following. When they passed the same man that she’d been arguing with earlier, he uttered under his breath, “Bitch.”

Unfortunately for him, they’d all heard. Her uncle quickly turned around and intimidatingly stomped towards him. He immediately backed away upon seeing Hank’s glower.

“The fuck did you call her?!”

“N-nothing.” She placed her hands on her uncle’s shoulders and pulled him away from the coward. 

“Come on, don’t waste your time on this asshat.” Hank looked back and forth between her and the guy before scoffing, spitting at the man’s feet, and turning his back on him. Connor didn’t know what to do for once, but only followed the two when they went back to Hank’s car with a dumbfounded look. She thought it only made him cuter.

* * *

Before midnight, Serena was dropped off at the house and watched Hank and Connor drive off, presumably to the police station to interrogate the deviant they caught. Sumo greeted her as soon as the door was opened. It was relieving to see him after having to put up with that dickhead detective and the asshat at the crime scene both in the same day. It sure had been an exasperating day and she couldn’t wait to relax.

Not having had dinner yet, her stomach was making unpleasant noises. She opened the fridge expecting food, but only finding partially eaten leftovers from Chicken Feed belonging to her uncle (that she refused to touch), a few bottles of condiments, a quarter-full gallon of milk that she was certain had expired, and two bottles of Black Lamb Scotch Whisky (one new and one nearly empty). There wasn’t much in the pantry either, nor were there any ingredients to cook anything half-decent. A groan left her lips and she thought about what to do next. She didn’t have a car or anyone she could call to drive her and bothering her uncle at work was not an option. Suddenly, she remembered there was a bus stop nearby that could take her to the store.

Pocketing her wallet and mobile phone and saying goodbye to Sumo, she left the house and locked the door behind her. It was a short walk to the bus stop and not long until it came. There were only a few people onboard: an old man in ragged clothes, a young couple, and two females sleeping in the back (an android maid and a small child). She sat near the front in a window seat and listened to music through her wireless earbuds throughout the ride.

After the bus stopped twice, it was only her and the sleeping android and child left. The next stop was the last one.

“Thank you for using Detroit Buses.” the automated female voice said as it stopped.

A middle-aged man wearing a grey cap came aboard the bus. She assumed he was hired to look after the automated buses past their normal operating hours. He let out a breath of air as he spotted the sleeping pair in the back. She made eye contact with him once as he walked to the back of the bus where the pair slept and exited the bus once he passed.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked the map. The 24 Convenience Store was just around the corner. There was no way she’d find any good food in there other than some snacks, but it was better than going to bed with an empty stomach. She walked forward and turned right on the next corner. It was easy to find with the gigantic flashing bright “24” sign out front.

Inside was a black male sitting behind the counter to her left, watching the news on a small television. He didn’t seem interested enough to look even when a ding signaled the door opening, not that she cared. If she was stuck working a dead-end job like that, she was sure she'd be exactly the same. Serena looked around the store. There were appliances, snacks, canned food, pet food, beverages (including alcohol, of course), cleaning supplies, body care products, over-the-counter medicine, toys, and gift cards being sold. To her pleasant surprise, there was a produce display on her right selling fruit. She grabbed one of the colorful baskets by her feet to the right and started thinking about what to buy for dinner. Her basket was halfway full when the door opened again, but she thought nothing of it until someone spoke. She was facing the beverage showcase fridge, so she couldn’t see who it was.

“What do you want?” the clerk asked in a rude tone.

“I’m with a little girl and we have nowhere to go. Could you spare some money so we can get a room for tonight?” asked a female voice.

“Shit…” The clerk stifled a laugh. “a homeless android? Ah, that’s the best yet…” What a prick, she thought as she unintentionally eavesdropped on them. “Look, this is a convenience store, not the Salvation Army, okay? You better go if you’re not gonna buy anything.”

Turning away an android, she could understand (somewhat), but a little girl? Heartless. She was shocked to see it was the sleeping pair from the bus. Their clothes were soaked with rainwater and the little girl appeared to be freezing, tugging at Serena's heartstrings. The android roamed aimlessly around the store, picking up a stuffed fox toy and looking at it longingly before returning it on the shelf. She probably wanted to give it to the little girl. When she wasn't looking, Serena grabbed the toy and went to pay for the items in her basket.

She approached the counter and cleared her throat to get the clerk’s attention. He had the same indifferent expression, most likely expecting the android, but stood up and wore a fake smile upon seeing Serena. “Evening, ma’am. What can I get you?” She took out the items from her basket one by one and he began scanning them.

“Just these, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Once all the items were scanned and bagged, he told her the amount owed. “$32.85.” She retrieved her card from her wallet and gave it to him.

“Do you also do cash-back?” she asked.

“Yes, we do. How much will that be?”

“$20.” The selfish side of her screamed internally at how much money she was wasting, but she tried to convince herself it was for a good cause: a homeless child and her android.

“Alright, the total is $52.85.” He returned her card to her along with the receipt and a $20 bill. “Will that be all?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

“Thanks, you too.” she emotionlessly replied as she grabbed the plastic grocery bag. Her card and receipt were tucked into her wallet, but she held the bill in her hand.

Luckily, the two hadn’t left and Serena approached them. The android maid was comforting the little girl, who had her arms folded across her chest. The girl looked at her, grabbing the attention of the android. She took notice of the android’s name and model number.

“Hi. I’m Serena.” Both of them gave her a friendly smile. “I couldn’t help but overhear your situation and I thought I’d help.” She offered them the $20 in her hand which the android took.

“Thank you. I’m Kara and this is Alice.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Oh, and…” Serena removed the stuffed fox toy from her bag and handed it to Alice before looking back at Kara. “I saw you looking at this and thought you wanted it for her.” An ecstatic smile broke out on Alice’s face upon seeing it and she held it close to her chest.

“You’re very kind. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Don’t mention it. Tell me if there’s anything else I can do to help.” Kara seemed hesitant at first, but then asked,

“Actually… would you happen to have some clothes to spare?” Serena checked her person, but there was only her jacket. She took it off and let Kara have it, who wrapped it around herself, trying to cover up her android uniform.

“I can only give you my jacket.”

“That’s perfect. Again, thank you so much. We won’t forget what you did for us.” Serena smiled kindly and looked at the pair again, probably for the last time.

“It’s nothing.”

She heard the clerk scoff at her from behind the counter before rudely remarking, “Taking pity on an android… That’s a new low.” She turned back at him, scowling.

“Excuse me, but who I take pity on is none of your freaking business.” She didn’t want to curse with a child in earshot. “And don’t you talk about lows when you wouldn’t even help a _child_. Wanna talk about lows? Talk about that, you piece of— you a— you garbage human.”

Having enough of garbage humans for the day, Serena stormed out of the store and caught a taxi back to her uncle’s— her home.

For dinner, she had a microwavable burrito, two bananas, a medium-sized cup of soda, and some sandwich cookies. It wasn’t much, but it made her stomach stop making those irritating noises. She slept about a half hour after having dinner, so she wasn’t awake when her uncle came back from the station.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her uncle and Gavin share something in common: their belief that androids are emotionless objects. Serena, however, believes something entirely different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking about possibly redeeming Gavin in later chapters for people that actually like him.

**DATE: NOV 6TH, 2038**  
**TIME: AM 11:51:03**

Her work at the DPD began early in the morning and went well into the night, most likely due to the great increase in deviant cases. Serena arrived at Central Station about two and a half hours ago and had been tasked with data entry and answering calls since then. She worked at the front desk along with two female android receptionists, which meant conversation was highly unlikely. She was currently seeing to a woman inquiring about her brother’s stolen vehicle. Once she left, Serena could see Connor walking up to her.

“Oh, hi Connor. How can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Lieutenant Anderson.”

“He’s not here yet, but you can wait at his desk if you like.” She pointed to the area where all the desks were, the entrance guarded by another android. He left without another word, but paused for a bit to watch the news about the American-Russian situation in the Arctic.

Six minutes later, the exact person Connor wanted to see walked through the doors of the station. Seeing his niece working the reception desk, Hank went to make small talk.

“I see they put you on front desk work. How’re you liking things around here so far?”

“It’s not the most exciting job ever, but no complaints here.”

“Good.”

“By the way, Connor’s looking for you. I told him he could wait at your desk. Hope you don’t mind.” He rolled his eyes.

“That _thing_ is an ‘it’. Not a ‘he’ or a human. When will you get that through your thick skull?”

“ _He_ looks human and that’s good enough for me.” He groaned at her stubbornness and started walking away from her.

“Whatever. You’re a lost case.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

* * *

She wasn’t stuck at the reception desk for long and another android receptionist took her place. There was still work to be done, so she moved to the cubicles. Upon passing the break room, she was greeted by the sight of Detective Dickhead (a well-fitting and well-deserved name for one Gavin Reed) and an Asian policewoman. This wasn’t going to be pleasant.

“If it ain’t little Miss Serenity, the new troublemaker.” he said, mocking her name.

Ignore him, she pled to herself. Nothing good will come out of arguing with him, she tried to convince herself. She took in a deep breath in and out, forcing her legs to move away. He did nothing but scoff and sip his coffee. She hoped he choked on it and the hot substance burned his lungs from the inside out. She was doing such a good job of tuning him out until Connor came.

“Fuck, look at that. Our friend the plastic detective is back in town!” He sat up and clapped sarcastically to mock him. “Congratulations on last night, very impressive!”

The corners of her lips curved downwards into a frown. She didn't want Connor to be forced to put up with Detective Dickhead, but she couldn't afford to start fights with higher-ups. Unsure of what to do, Serena hid herself behind a nearby wall.

“Hello. My name is Connor.”

Gavin stood up from his seat and approached him. She didn’t like where this was heading.

“Never seen an android like you before… What model are you?”

“RK800. I’m a prototype.”

“A prototype?” He turned back to the policewoman he was drinking with and pointed a finger at Connor. “Android detective…” He looked back at him. “So machines are gonna… replace us all… is that it? Hey, bring me a coffee, dipshit.” When Connor just stared at him, he yelled, “Get a move on!”

And she took that as her cue to step in, seeing as Connor probably couldn't defend himself.

“Why don’t you get it yourself?” It was challenging not to say obscenities. “He’s not your slave.” Gavin groaned and turned around to look at her.

“Fuck’s your problem, doll? It’s not a ‘he’, it’s an android and it's supposed to do what we say.” She suppressed a snarl. He turned back to Connor. “And _I_ say get me a fucking coffee!”

“And _I_ say, back off!” she yelled, shielding Connor by moving in between them. “ _He_ isn't your personal servant!” She grabbed Connor’s arm and tried to move him away. “C’mon Connor, you don’t have to take this.”

“Fine. If it won’t get me a coffee, you do.” Gavin said with a cocky smirk she wanted to punch right off. “You’re the intern. It’s your job. Chop chop.”

Oh, she was going to regret this, but he needed to be taught a good lesson.

“Go to hell. Oh, wait, never mind, you’re kinda already going there.”

Yup, that really pissed him off. He grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her towards him.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are just because you’re related to Hank, but you need to learn to respect people around here.” She squirmed in his grip.

“I do respect people. Just not assholes who don’t deserve it like you.” His grip on her shoulder tightened and she cried out in pain.

“Stop it, you’re hurting her!” Connor yelled to their surprise.

“Fuck do you care?” He began to laugh as a thought popped in his head and he looked back at his companion at the table. "Take a look at this! A machine developing feelings for a human." He turned back to Connor. "That's rich."

“I'm not... developing feelings. Lieutenant Anderson won't be happy about this. Now remove your grip on her."

“Or what?” Gavin asked.

“Or I’ll drive this fist straight into your face ‘cause you’ve had it coming for a _long_ time.”

Serena released a big sigh of relief upon hearing her uncle’s voice. Hank approached the three of them, slapping a palm over a clenched fist. Gavin groaned loudly and left with the policewoman he was with without making any more of a fuss. She massaged her shoulders gingerly, trying to alleviate the pain. That was the second time in a row he’d physically hurt her. When Hank got wind of the first incident, he made sure to let Gavin know not to put hands on her again, but he’d obviously forgotten.

“You alright, kid?”

“For the most part…”

“Guess he needs to be taught another lesson.”

“You don’t need to do that. Captain Fowler already hassles you enough as it is. Don’t worry about Detective Dickhead.” Hank smirked.

“Detective Dickhead? I oughta start using that one. Suits him nice. Anyways, what the hell happened?”

“She was defending me.” Connor answered. Hank raised an eyebrow.

“Say what now?”

“He was treating Connor like shit, telling him to get coffee just because his lazy ass didn’t want to walk five feet to the coffee machine.” Her uncle shrugged, not quite understanding it.

“So?”

“Connor doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. No one does.” Hank closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“For the last time,  _it_ is an android. _It_ doesn’t have any feelings that can get hurt.”

“So it doesn’t matter if they’re treated like they’re _nothing_ _?”_ He groaned, signaling his defeat.

“Like I said, lost case! In one ear and out the other!”

“Lieutenant…” An African American officer interrupted them, calling out to Hank. He became awkward once realizing he’d put himself in the middle of a bad situation. “uh... sorry to disturb you. I have some information on the AX400 that attacked the guy last night… It’s been seen in the Ravendale district.”

At first, she thought nothing of it, until she remembered the android she met last night. Kara was an AX400 too, _and_ she was homeless. Serena really didn’t want to think that it was the same android, but there was an awful feeling in her gut saying the opposite. Kara seemed to genuinely care for Alice and the girl didn’t seem like she was being threatened or forced. Her mind was a scale, balancing out the pros and cons of telling them what she knew or keeping quiet.

She recalled a man coming in this morning about his AX400. He was quite an unsavory character and repulsive, not bothering to clean up his appearance when coming in the station. There was also a faint smell of Red Ice coming off his breath, so she knew he definitely wasn’t intelligent in the slightest, having come into a police station smelling like that. He had also been practically screaming at the poor android receptionist who had to deal with him. It made her decision to stay silent much easier.

“I’m on it.” Hank said, leaving Connor and Serena alone in the break room.

“Are you positive you’re okay?” asked Connor. He brought a gentle hand to her aching shoulder. “Would you mind if I scanned for bruises?” She was taken aback as she didn't think he cared for her. She wondered if this was in his programming too, if he really was designed to be desirable to women.

“N-no. Not at all.” She pushed her shirt down a little around her shoulder, exposing her bare skin and a bra strap. She couldn’t help but blush as he stared openly at her skin.

“All seems well. No indication of bruising, although I suggest you keep a cold compress on it for the pain." She nodded and readjusted her sleeve.

“Thanks.”

“Thank _you_. Tell me, why did you protect me from Detective Reed? I'm an android; we don't feel any pain, emotional or physical.”

“You look human. You walk and talk like humans. And you behave like them. How can I not treat you the same?” He raised an eyebrow.

“You are… one _unique_ individual.” She wondered if he was actually complimenting her.

“Um, thanks. You too.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In pursuit of a rogue AX400, Connor choses to risk his life to complete his task. Upon learning about this, Serena has a few choice words for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter centered around Connor, which is why his relationships and some of the text is displayed that way. I also originally write it on Google Docs and I change the size of the text, so that's also why some of the text is a little funky. I also go all over the place with my PoV, so sorry about that.
> 
> [ MAJOR SPOILER WARNING ]
> 
> In my story, Alice is human, not android, because I hated that plot twist and it didn't sync well with the other parts of the plot, so that's why they're also reporting a missing kid.

**DATE: NOV 6TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 12:48:53**

“Alright, that’s all for now. Free to go.” 

Hank dismissed the bus operator. The middle-aged cop from the deviant case yesterday joined him in front of the 24 convenience store.

“We’ve got officers sweeping the neighborhood, in case anybody saw anything.”

“Okay. Well, let me know if they turn anything up.” he said as he ran through the clues they had on a tablet.

“What are you gonna do with that?” The cop glanced at Connor, absentmindedly staring at the store.

“I’ve no idea…” he replied, walking towards Connor.

**HANK - WARM**

“It took the first bus that came along… and stayed at the end of the line. Its decision wasn’t planned, it was driven by fear.”

Hank scoffed at the idea of machines feeling emotions. “Androids don’t feel fear.”

“Deviants do. They get overwhelmed by their emotions and make irrational decisions.”

“Ah well, that still doesn’t tell us where it went.”

“It didn’t have a plan, and it had nowhere to go. Maybe it didn’t go far…”

“Maybe…”

Connor ran through all the possible options the rogue android could have made. He scoured the area for possible locations it could have stayed at, finding only two: the Eastern Motel and an abandoned house nearby. When the motel clerk was questioned by police, he said he hadn’t seen any androids nor a child matching the description of the girl the deviant was seen with: the daughter of the man it attacked. Checking the squat was the only logical thing to do.

He told his partner about his idea and they went over to the abandoned house. A tall fence made from both wire and wood closed the squat off to the rest of the neighborhood. He searched around it to see if there was any area he could enter through and noticed that some of the fence had already been cut through, along with some Thirium coating it.

“There’s blue blood on the fence.” he informed Hank after squeezing under. “I know another android was here.”

“Go check. Tell me if you find anything. I’ll go get the others.” Connor nodded and continued on. He found an entrance around the corner and peeked through the boarded up windows.

 **ANDROID** INSIDE THE HOUSE

He entered the house and saw another male android, sporting ragged clothes and heavily damaged on the left side of its face, with dried Thirium coating it and its left eye. It was also noticeably twitching, perhaps a sign of emotional trauma. He calmly approached to scan it.

 **MODEL WR600** \- Gardener  
Serial#: 021 753 034  
Status: REPORTED MISSING

He then scanned the android’s scar.

 **BURN MARK**  
Irreversible skin damage  
Probable cause: Extreme heat

And next, its LED. 

 **PROCESSING LED**  
Signs of software instability  
Probability of self-destruction: Moderate

A new instruction came in:

 **FIND SOURCE** OF ANDROID **STRESS**

He looked behind it to see the fireplace lit. It struck him as odd as androids didn’t require heat. The table was also set for three people, but androids didn’t eat either. Then he recalled that there was a human child accompanying the AX400. There was also a wire cutter sitting on top of a cardboard box. When he went to check the other room, he was shocked to find RA9 and “I’M ALIVE” graffitied all over the kitchen walls in large capital letters. The android there was definitely a deviant.

“I’m looking for an AX400. Have you seen it?” he asked, walking to the stairs.

“Ralph’s seen nobody…” He took note of how it addressed itself in third person.

“Are there any other androids here?”

“Other androids…? No… Ralph is alone…”

“There’s blue blood on the fence. I know another android was here.”

“Ralph scratched himself coming through… That’s Ralph’s blood…”

The android’s level of stress increased rapidly upon Connor approaching the stairs.

“Is anyone upstairs?” he asked.

“No. Nobody.”

ANDROID IS TELLING THE **TRUTH**

It didn’t explain why its stress levels were rising when he was near the stairs if there was no one up there.

“Connor, what the hell you doin’ in there?!” He heard Hank yell from outside as he came closer to underneath the staircase which was covered by a piece of cardboard. The android’s level of stress grew to 91%.

“Coming, Lieutenant!” he called back as he inched towards a small opening in the cardboard. He could almost make out a figure.

Suddenly, the WR600 restrained him, yelling, “Run! Quick! Kara!” The piece of cardboard was pushed aside and the rogue AX400 and the human girl ran out from under there, going towards the kitchen. He got the android off of him, but fell against a plastic container. It then backed away, probably afraid of what was going to happen to it next.

As if on cue, Hank barged in the house, asking, “Connor, what’s going on?”

Connor quickly got back on his feet and went to pursue the duo, but not before saying, “It’s here! Call it in!” Hank turned back around to tell the other officers.

He ran through the kitchen and came out the backdoor, finding another hole in the fence and crawling under it. There was an officer standing right next to it.

“Which way did it go?” he asked.

“That way, they’re headed for the train station!” The officer pointed in the direction he saw the deviant and girl run.

Connor immediately gave chase, ending up at a tall fence separating the neighborhood and an automated car track. The deviant and the girl had just gone over. They made eye contact before a human cop ran up to them, pointing his gun at it.

“Don’t shoot! We need it alive!”

The pair slid down the hill to the car track, jumping over the barrier and holographic sign warning of the high dangers of the speeding automated vehicles. The deviant took the little girl’s hand as they prepared to cross.

“Oh fuck, that’s insane…” commented Hank who’d just caught up to him. He looked at the two who were running and squinted his eyes when he thought he saw something familiar. “Wait a minute… Is that Serena’s jacket that thing is wearing?”

“What?”

To their further shock and bewilderment, they made it across one section of the track and were in the middle where steel guardrails separated them and the cars. Connor prepared to climb over the fence to follow them.

“Hey! Where you goin’?”

“I can’t let them get away.”

“They won’t! They’ll never make it to the other side.”

“I can’t take that chance.” He pulled himself up, but was brought down by Hank.

“Hey, you will get yourself killed! Do _not_ go after ‘em, Connor, that’s an order!” He was ignored by Connor, quickly climbing over the fence. “Connor, goddammit!”

 **SOFTWARE INSTABILITY** ⬇

 **HANK** ⬇

He jumped over the fence and the barrier, swiftly evading the oncoming cars and catching up to the pair. He was only a few feet away from capturing them. The deviant hopped over another guardrail and helped the girl over. A car pushed it forward and made the girl trip. She screamed as the android helped her up and pushed her further away. He also hopped over the guardrail and tackled it in the middle of the track. It resisted him and pushed him away, but not before the jacket slid off. He dodged a car zooming past him, but fell. He barely evaded another one. When he got up and looked around, the two were nowhere to be found.

“Shit…” he bitterly cursed under his breath, looking at the jacket in his hand he’d seized from the deviant. He found long white hairs on it with dark roots.

Connor made his way back to Hank, who was looking quite angry seeing as he disobeyed his direct orders.

“Fucking insane, the lot of ya.” In order to make up for it, he handed over the jacket to him. “What's this?”

“The deviant’s jacket. I managed to remove it off its person. You said there was a possibility it was Serenity’s.” He picked a strand of white hair off of the jacket and showed it to him. “Does this white strand of hair belong to her?”

Upon seeing the hair, Hank groaned and muttered to himself, “For fuck’s sake… What’s she gotten herself into now?”

* * *

“Serena!” Hank yelled as soon and he and Connor returned to the station. They found her in the office space, cleaning off a desk like she’d been asked of one of the cops. It made her jolt, knowing she was probably in some kind of trouble with him. She knew the reason when she saw him carrying the jacket she’d given to Kara. There was already a guilty expression on her face.

“Yes, Uncle Hank?”

“You, me, interrogation room, now.”

“Wh-what for…?” He looked at her, patience wearing thin.

“Get a move on.”

Not wanting to irritate him any more, she obediently followed him and Connor into the interrogation room. She never wanted to be the one being interrogated in this room ever. They both took a seat while Connor leaned against the wall in the middle of the room. He basically slammed her jacket on the table in front of them.

“Mind telling me why the fuck the deviant we were chasing was wearing _this?_ Don’t even try to deny it because Connor found white hair, _your_ fucking hair, on it!” She didn’t know what to do. She’d never been questioned this harshly by a police officer, much less her uncle. “When were you gonna tell us?!”

“I… I didn’t think it was important. I ran into them at the store and felt sorry for them because the asshole clerk wasn’t helping, so I gave them $20 and my jacket and went on my way. That’s _all_ that happened. Swear.”

Hank glanced over at Connor, who told him, “She appears to be telling the truth. Her heart rate has been stable throughout her story.” He looked back at her and sighed.

“Fine. But next time, you have to tell us if something happened that involves our case. It might not have been important this time, but that can change. _We’re_ the ones who decide whether what you witnessed is relevant to the case or not and we can’t do that if you don’t say anything. Get it?” She nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry, Uncle Hank.”

“As long as you understand. Alright, you can get back to your boring ass job now.”

They stood up and left with Connor following them. When they all left the room, they were greeted by an unwelcome sight.

“Uh-oh, did Serenity get in trouble with Uncle Hank?” he mocked. Hank and Serena just glared at him, unable to put up with his bullshit.

“Fuck off, Detective Dipshit.” Hank said. She looked at him in bewilderment and he looked back, saying, “What, you call him dickhead and I call him dipshit. You’re much nicer about it.”

“The fuck did you call me?” asked Gavin, intimidatingly, but failing to make them feel threatened.

“I said _fuck off._ ” Hank took her arm and dragged her away from him, Connor following.

* * *

“Uncle, you need help.” Serena told Hank while they were at Chicken Feed again for dinner.

“Yadda, yadda, you told me you wanted to get dinner with me, so we’re getting dinner.” He eyed Connor, who stood nearby, reserving a table for them. “Dunno why you insisted on bringing _it_ though...” She rolled her eyes.

“ _He’s_ your partner, right? Isn’t this what partners do? Eat together?”

“Androids don’t eat and I can barely stand that thing. Creeps me out the way its staring at us like that.” The owner finally came around to take their order. “I’ll take the usual.” He glanced at her. “What’re you getting?”

“I’ll have the spicy chicken sandwich and a medium coke.” The owner nodded and went to cook their orders.

“Seems like you get along just fine with him to me.” Serena said, resuming their conversation.

“I kinda have to if I don’t want Jeffrey hounding me again, but you know I hate those things.”

“Sure you do. Well, you’re very convincing, I’ll give you that.” It was his turn to roll his eyes.

“You should be nicer to me considering I gave you a job… let you stay at my home… help paid for your medical shit and all…”

“I _am_ nice. I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“Just like your mother, you know that? You act like an angel, but you’re the Devil inside.”

“Hey, that _hurts_ , Uncle Hank. You cut me deep.”

“Gimme a break…” They got their food and walked over to the table Connor was at. “Did you have fun staring at us from there?” he jokingly asked him. Connor scrunched his eyebrows together, confused.

“Stop it. Why can’t we just eat and have a nice talk like normal people?” she asked, taking out her food from the bag.

“Androids don’t eat.” Connor unintentionally reiterated. Hank gave her a look that said “I-told-you-so” and she returned it with a look that said “stuff-it”.

“I know, but can’t we have a nice chat over dinner?”

“What do you want to chat about?” he asked.

“I-I don’t know…” she trailed off, not being the most outgoing person. “What about your case today? What happened?”

“I’m sorry, but we aren’t allowed to talk about classified information to people without enough authorization.” he stated matter-of-factly.

“They got away.” Hank told her, disregarding what Connor just said, earning a disappointed look from him. “Hightailed it over a fence and through an automated car track. Fuckin’ insane… And Connor” He squinted his eyes at him. “decided it would be a great idea to chase them despite me ordering him not to.”

She almost choked on her soda hearing that. “ _What?!_ Connor, are you out of your damn mind, you could’ve gotten killed!”

“I was given a mission and am ordered to complete it no matter what. Even if I were to be destroyed, CyberLife would only need to transfer my memories and directives into another RK800 model. It was of no consequence.”

 **SERENITY** ⬇

Serena slammed her hands on the table, visually frustrated, and earning their attention.

“Can we talk? _In private?”_ she demanded rather than asked, gripping Connor’s wrist and dragging him away to the back of Chicken Feed.

“What’s the problem?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you what the fucking problem is. _You_ risking _your_ life just for some stupid mission!”

“I don’t… understand. I’m an android” he said for what it felt like the fiftieth time today. “and I must accomplish what I was instructed to do by any means necessary, no matter how… ‘stupid’ it seems to you.”

 **SERENITY** ⬇

“But you’re not just an android to me. You’re my friend and I don’t want another you. CyberLife might transfer your memories, but you’ll never be the same. Not to me. That’s why I hate it when you make stupid and reckless decisions that’ll get you killed!” He gaped at her, his LED yellow indicating he was thinking.

“I-I had no idea you considered me a... friend. Then... my actions must have caused you great emotional stress. I'm sorry...”

 **SOFTWARE INSTABILITY** ⬆

She exhaled and encased him in a hug.

“You're forgiven. Just please try not to do that again. I'm not asking you to promise. I'm just asking you to value your life a little more." He awkwardly reciprocated it, his face almost in her hair.

“Okay... I can do that.”

 **SERENITY** ⬆

 **SOFTWARE INSTABILITY** ⬆⬆⬆

“Serena! Connor! You two better not be swapping saliva back there or else I’m gonna wreck the both of ya!”

Hank’s voice startled them and they broke away.

“You’re delusional, Uncle Hank!” she yelled back at him while returning to their table. “I told you having Chicken Feed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the past three years was going to affect your health!”

“Fuck off my eating habits! I’m a grown man, I pay my bills, so I chose to eat however the fuck I want!” Serena giggled at him being his typical self, having rejoined him at the table.

Connor’s gaze drifted between them. They were… an unusual pair, but, for some reason, he was happy to have met them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During their lunch break, Connor attempts to get closer to Hank and Serena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I really did just try to quote lyrics from the song, "FRIENDS" by Anne-Marie. I named Serena's mom Micah because it was the name of the angel of miracles. I know this happened on November 6th along with the Eden Club thing, but I moved both to November 7th. That's WAAAY too much stuff to be happening in ONE day and then they just gloss over the 7th.

**DATE: NOV 7TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 03:02:05**

“And you think Chicken Feed is worse for me than this shit?”

Hank prodded the lunch Serena cooked for him in a tupperware container. They sat together on a bench in the park closest to the station. Connor, of course, accompanied them. She released a frustrated groan.

“Give me a chance, okay? I did the best I could, but I’m not like Mom.” His eyes traveled back and forth between his niece and the grilled (albeit half-burnt) chicken salad she made for him this morning.

“Yeah… because I actually liked Micah’s cooking.” He very hesitantly poked a piece of grilled chicken on his plastic fork and sighed. “If it kills me… oh well.” He put it in his mouth and chewed on it for a noticeably long time. When he finally swallowed it, she asked him for his opinion.

“Not bad, right?”

“Eh…” he said, bobbing his head. “It’s edible. I’ll give you that.” He skewered another piece of chicken along with some greens on his fork and started eating. This was a victory in her eyes and she perked right up. They looked up to see Connor standing around aimlessly, blankly staring at the scenery. “It’s so creepy the way it follows me around like a poodle. And yet you keep offering it to join us. Why you gotta do this to me, kid?”

“Lighten up a little. He’s so… innocent.”

“Jesus, don't tell me you're falling in love with that thing. It's an  _android_ , Serena. A _machine_. I doubt it's been programmed to feel, much less  _love_." She scoffed and playfully bumped him on the shoulder.

"Stop being ridiculous. Connor's only a friend."

“Friend, huh?” he said in between bites of his food. “I dunno whether or not that's worse.”

Connor then joined them at the bench, sitting on the other side of Hank. He clearly didn't appreciate it and made Serena switch spots with him. Connor noted his avoidance of him.

“The weather certainly is pleasant today. No signs of storm clouds or indications of heavy rain, unlike yesterday, although there is a chance it may start snowing late at night.”

“Wow, you even have a shit office talk program. CyberLife really does think of everything." That earned Hank another shoulder bump from her.

“Sorry about him. He tends to get like this when he doesn't get whatever he wants."

“It’s alright. Um…” Connor's LED blinked yellow. “Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants?”

“You read my mind.” Hank said, taking another bite of his food.

“Oh, do you want me to leave? ‘Classified information’ and whatnot…” she asked, but he shook his head.

“No, that’s alright.” He began sharing what he knew about deviants. “We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion.”

Hank held up a hand to interrupt. “In English, please.”

“Funny, I thought it _was_ in English.” she remarked.

“Don’t be a smartass, kid.” he said before looking back to Connor. “Continue.”

“They don’t really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions, which can lead to unpredictable behavior.”

“Emotions always screw everything up… Maybe androids aren’t as different from us as we thought.”

It all seemed intriguing to her. She originally believed all androids were humanoid bodies with complex programs inside that allowed them to perform human tasks more perfectly than the ones they were designed after. Perhaps she was wrong about them, like the majority of the world.

“Speaking of androids, is there anything you’d like to know about me?”

“Hell no…” he said abruptly. “Well, yeah, um… Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?”

Of course her android-hating uncle would dislike even the little things about Connor, but she found both his voice and appearance to be… charming.

“CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration.”

Perfect job as always, CyberLife.

“Well, they fucked up.” Hank commented. “You ever dealt with deviants before?” he asked before drinking from his bottle of water.

“A few months back… A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl… I managed to save her…”

“So, I guess you’ve done all your homework, right? Know everything there is to know about me?”

“I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases, and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit. I also know you’ve received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars.” Anti-android ones to be exact.

“So what’s your conclusion?”

“I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge, but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features.” He winked. Did he really just wink? He's honestly so cute, she thought.

Hank left to discard the remains of his lunch in the nearest bin, allowing Connor to speak to Serena in private.

“Could I ask you a personal question pertaining to your uncle? Why does he hate androids so much?”

Although he was his partner, she felt like it wasn’t something she had the right to tell him. “He, uh, has his reasons…”

“I see… Well, could I ask about you then?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Sure, I guess.”

“Your original hair color was black. Why did you dye it white?" She exhaled.

“My last name is Branwen. It means something like beautiful raven.” She fiddled with a lock of her white hair in her fingers. “It and my hair color were one of the few things my so-called ‘father’ left me after he ditched me and my mom before I was even born. I feel nothing but contempt for him…”

“You did it to spite him.”

“Exactly. My mom was… less than happy when I did it. She had gorgeous blonde hair, but, for some reason, she loved my hair black. She grounded me for a week and begged me to dye it back, but I refused. She eventually gave up.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your father.”

“Ha, he’s not my father. He was only the sperm donor. The closest thing I have to a dad is Uncle Hank, but ever since the accident, he’s become someone different. I don’t know him as much as I used to anymore.”

“The accident?” She gritted her teeth and sucked in her breath.

“Shit. I wasn’t supposed to tell you about that.”

“Did he get into a car wreck?” She kept her mouth shut as her uncle returned from his lengthy trip to the trash can. He’d apparently bumped into one of his pals which was why it took so long.

“Hey.” He sat back down next to her and away from Connor. “So, what are you two lovebirds chattin' about?” Connor scrunched his eyebrows together while she rolled her eyes.

“Lovebirds?” he asked.

“For crying out loud, we’re _friends!_ Want me to spell it out for you? F-R-I-E-N-D-S, we're just friends.” Although a large part of her wished they weren’t just friends…

He held up his hands just to get her off his back. “Okay, okay, no need to repeat it a thousand times, I get it.” Connor’s LED suddenly flashed yellow.

“I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It’s a few blocks away. We should go have a look.” Hank stood up from the bench.

“Alright then.” He glanced at her. “You should go back to the station, kid.”

“But I got here like ten minutes ago! I still have an hour. Can’t I go with you?” she pled with him.

“ _No._ What're you, nuts? You oughta know how dangerous it can be and your mother would never forgive me if something were to happen to you.”

“I've been interested in pursuing a career with the police lately. How can I know whether or not it's for me if I don't get any experience?”

“ _Bullshit,_ you’ve always been the artsy type.”

“I _write_ , Uncle!”

“Whatever. Nice try, but it's not happening. That is final.”

“I could... watch her.” said Connor, to their surprise.

“Connor, _are you serious?_ Since when did you want civilians with us on cases?!”

"Hey, he's offering..." Hank's gaze moved between the pair.

"I wouldn't mind in the slightest and I could protect her."

Hank groaned loudly and threw his head up at the sky before hanging it low, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ugh, you’re _so annoying_ …” He brought his head back up to look at them. “Ya know what? _Fine_.” A finger was pointed to Connor and he looked at him with a serious expression. “You wanna play android babysitter? Fine. Play android babysitter, but if something happens, if she so much as gets a scratch, I fuckin’ swear it’s on your head. And trust me, I’ll have your head underneath my boot should that happen.”

“Understood, Lieutenant.”

Serena sat up and stood in between them.

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go! Your car’s that way, right, Uncle?” she asked, pointed in the direction of the parking lot, but not waiting for an answer and happily skipping there anyways.

“She’s certainly happy.” stated Connor when she was out of earshot.

“Too happy.” Hank glanced at him. “You better not make me regret this.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After begging her uncle, he and Connor bring her along to apprehend a potential deviant, but it proves to be too difficult in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and especially comments! It really helps motivate me to write more chapters. Serena and Connor romance coming soon, I promise.

**DATE: NOV 7TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 03:17:52**

“Hey Connor!”

He opened his eyes, seeing Hank and Serena waiting for him outside of the elevator. They looked a little concerned when he closed them and remained in the elevator after they’d gotten out.

“You’re supposed to be protecting her. I can’t have you running out of battery on us.”

“I’m sorry. I was making a report to CyberLife.” he answered.

“Uh… Well, don’t stay in the elevator for too long. Serena’s _your_ responsibility, remember?”

“Yes, of course. I’m coming.” he replied, following the two as they walked through the hallway of the 7th floor of a dingy apartment building.

She hated the way her uncle spoke about her like she was a kid, but seeing as they both agreed to let her come, she swallowed her pride and kept her mouth shut.

“What do we know about this guy?” Hank asked Connor. The two men walked alongside each other with her trailing behind.

“Not much. Just that a neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody’s supposed to be living here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap.”

“Oh Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we’re gonna need more cops.” he whined as he leaned against the door of the apartment the deviant was allegedly staying at. She stood by him, arms crossed. Connor stepped back to analyze something on the floor which appeared to be feathers. “Hey, were you really makin’ a report back there in the elevator? Just by closing your eyes?”

“Correct.” he answered, joining the two of them at the door.

“Shit… Wish I could do that…”

Connor knocked lightly on the wood three times, but no response. He exchanged glances with his partner, who shrugged. Then he banged his fist against the door three times.

“Anybody home?” he called out, but again, no response. “Open up! Detroit Police!”

Suddenly, a loud noise rung out from inside, putting everyone on alert. Hank quickly withdrew his pistol and jumped in front of her and Connor. With one swift motion, Connor moved Serena behind him and used his arm as a barrier, stretching it out in front of her.

“Stay behind me.” ordered Hank.

“Got it.” Connor obliged.

A hard kick was enough to send the door swinging open. Her uncle went in first, scanning the surroundings and they soon followed. It was apparent the apartment was in the same state as the rest of the building with chipped paint, ripped wallpaper, and dust everywhere they looked. All the other rooms except for the one at the end were open and abandoned.

When Hank opened that one, there was a loud sound of wings fluttering. And also pigeons. Lots and lots of pigeons.

“What the fuck is this?!” he yelled as he searched around the place. “Jesus, this place stinks…” The almost unbearable _stench_ was undeniable. Since there were a lot of pigeons, there was bound to be a lot of pigeon… excrement splattered all over the floor and furniture. “Uh, looks like we came for nothin’. Our man’s gone…”

Connor left her to her devices in order to do some investigating of his own. The pigeons flew away with every step they took, making walking around very annoying. He walked over to a poster advertising Detroit Urban Farms. She noticed there was large maze-like symbols written all over the walls and wondered what they meant.

She couldn’t stick around to find out, though, because she could no longer stand the smell. She somewhat envied androids for not having that sense.

“Ugh, I can’t… I just can’t… Th-this is too much…” she told them, nearly staggering to the entrance. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

Her uncle chuckled as he opened a window. “Aw, that’s okay, kid. Maybe next time.”

She couldn’t even retort back because she was busy trying to get the smell out of her lungs and nostrils. When she was finally out of that dreaded apartment, she took several deep breaths in and out. Although a bit bummed she wasn’t able to stick around, she was glad she was away from those winged fucks.

A couple minutes passed before she could hear a thud and her uncle cursing.

“God damn fuckin’ pigeons!”

When Serena peeked inside to see what was happening, she saw a seedy-looking man headed straight for her. Unsure of what to do, her entire body froze. A shriek escaped her lips as she was shoved onto the floor.

“Serena!” she could hear her uncle calling her name.

It wasn’t long until she saw Connor run out the apartment. He glanced at her first, worry painted on his face, before pursuing the man, hopping over an empty shelf he’d yanked down. Hank also rushed out, tending to his niece, still on the floor.

“Serena, fuck, are you okay? The deviant hurt you?” She shook her head and he helped her on her feet.

“What do we do now?”

“Let’s get to the roof. Maybe we can see them from there.”

“Good idea.”

With that, they hurried up to the roof, taking the elevator. Hank kicked the door in and, once outside, they scoured the area, looking to see where Connor and the deviant had gone. She spotted them sliding down a glass rooftop onto an oncoming train, and then jumping onto another rooftop. This screamed “unhuman”. It looked like a scene from an action film what she was watching unfold before her.

“There!” she pointed out to him.

“Holy shit…” he uttered upon seeing the spectacle.

With a lack of foresight between them, they moved closer to the edge of the rooftop to get a better look. The two androids were constantly jumping between rooftops and they could no longer see them. She then realized they were moving in a full circle, heading towards them, but it was too late.

“Stop right there!” Hank demanded, seeing the deviant approaching them. He let out a grunt as the deviant pushed him over the edge before running off. She acted immediately, gripping both of his arms and trying to hold him steady. It proved too much for her though, as both of them hung over the parapet, Hank dangling off the building and Serena attempting to support them both with her stomach grinding against the edge of the roof. He probably knew it was pushing her limits as he told her, “Kid, let go!”

“ _What?!_ Are you fuckin’  _insane?!”_

“Just do it! There’s no point in _both_ of us dying!”

Serena felt tears sting her eyes as her muscles ached every passing second. Suddenly, two hands grasped where their hands were joined and pulled them both up. Hank’s expression turned into one of immense relief. She looked to her side to see who it was.

“Connor!” she cried out in joy.

“Shit! Oh _shit!”_ Hank cursed as he was pulled safely onto the roof. By that time, the deviant had already vanished. “We had it! Fuck!”

“It’s my fault. I should have been faster.” Connor apologized.

“You’d have caught it if it weren’t for me…” he replied and sighed in relief. “That’s alright. We know what it looks like. We’ll find it…” He walked back to the exit before turning around and saying, “Hey, Connor…” He put up a hand and turned back around. “Nothing.”

“By that, he means, ‘thank you’. He’s just… not the type of person to say it out loud.” she explained. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest without a second thought. “But I’ll say it for him. Thank you.” She pulled away. “We would’ve died today if it weren’t for you. You could’ve chased down that deviant for your mission and left us to die, but you didn’t. So… thank you.”

Serena gently cupped his cheek in her hand before placing a tender kiss on his cheek. She gave him a warm, thankful smile before joining Hank. Connor just stood on the rooftop in silence for a few seconds after that, his LED yellow.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the deviant escaped, everything returns to normal for Serena... or at least that's what she thought until Gavin suddenly asks her out on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the restaurant name "Agnellone" by Googling lamb and lion in Italian and combining the words. Thought it would suit the name of a restaurant Gavin would want to go to. And, yes, this is somewhat me redeeming him.

**DATE: NOV 7TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 04:02:59**

The trio arrived back at Central Station just before Serena’s lunch break was up to return her to work and report on the deviant situation that just occurred. Since he was the one who suggested they take her in the first place, Connor didn’t mention to Captain Fowler that she was there and neither did Hank; he didn’t want them to get shit on by Fowler which would be inevitable were he to ever find out. Afterwards, her uncle left (he was apparently done for the day) as did Connor, while she was assigned to cataloging along with another android. It wasn’t difficult, but she felt like she was slacking behind compared to her co-worker. Damn androids for being so perfect.

The task was completed in an hour and a half and she was allowed to relax a little until her next assignment would come in. She went to the break room, expecting to find peace, but instead finding an unpleasant surprise. Who could it be? Who else, but Detective Dickhead. She didn’t mean to groan loudly when she did.

“I see you’re pleased to see me.” Gavin said with an arrogant smirk she so badly wanted to knock off. Thankfully, he was alone and there weren’t many people around.

“How could you tell?” she retorted, trying not to sound _too_ sarcastic, but ultimately failing.

“Relax.” he said, getting up from his seat at the table and approaching her. Her feet instinctively moved three steps back. When he saw, he held up both of his palms to her, to show he meant no harm, but she didn’t buy it. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you mean ‘again’?”

Despite her obvious sarcasm and “leave-me-the-fuck-alone” expression, he didn’t become aggressive. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“Y-yeah… Look, I’m— Sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She couldn’t help but laugh at his so-called “apology”. It sounded like he was trying to justify his actions by saying they weren’t intentional.

“You— You ‘didn’t mean to hurt me’? Really? Is that so?”

“Yeah… It is. Both times, I was in a pissy mood.”

“So you decided to take it out on me? How the hell is that in any way okay?”

“It’s not… and I hope you’ll let me make it up to you.”

“And why the fuck would I do that?”

“Just let me take you out somewhere nice, you know, give you a good time.”

“Like a _date? No_ thank you.”

“Oh, c’mon, don’t be like that.”

“...What’s in it for me?” He chuckled.

“ _Other_ than getting you out of this boring ass place and paying for your shit?”

“That’s right.” It might seem like she was asking for too much, but she wasn’t going to back down. Then an idea popped into her head. “...If I go on this stupid date with you, will you finally promise to leave me and Connor alone?”

“ _Connor?_ The fuck? What’s it got to do with this shit?!”

“If you don’t agree, then I’m done with you.”

“Wait, wait, wait… Are you _in love_ with the damn android? Are you fucking with me right now?”

“Haha, it would take a hell of a lot more for _me_ to fuck with the likes of _you_.”

“Answer me, goddammit! Do you seriously have feelings for that robotic fuck?!”

“Calm your tits, he’s just a friend and I don’t appreciate you bullying my friends.” He rolled his eyes.

“Oh, ‘just a friend’, huh? Didn’t know you could be friends with machines, ‘cause I sure for hell know they can’t be friends with you. You wanna know how I know? Because they’re _machines_. They don’t think, they don’t feel, and they certainly don’t give a single fuck about us.”

“As far as you know, and I’m sure you don’t know that much, so…” A loud groan from him was heard.

“I’m really trying, you know, but you just keep on pushing my patience.”

“I believe that’s called ‘not having any patience at all’. If you’re not going to agree to my terms, then _goodbye_.” Another loud groan escaped his throat before he smacked his palm on his face.

“Wait… _Fine,_ I accept your stupid ass terms.”

Her lips curved into a mischievous smirk because she knew she had won.

* * *

“You have _got_ to be fucking kidding me.” her uncle said on the phone.

Serena called to tell him not to pick her up after work today because of her date with Gavin at around seven o’clock and, as expected, he did not take it well.

“A _date?_ With Detective Dipshit? Did he threaten you or blackmail you or anything?”

“No, I made him promise to not bother me again if I went through with this.”

“You didn’t have to do that, kid. If he was bothering you that much, I would’ve taken care of ‘im!”

“You have enough to worry about as is with Captain Fowler! I can handle myself, Uncle.”

“Oh, is that a fact?”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I’ll be fine. Call you if he steps over the line just once, promise.”

“You _better._ He does that, and I’ll kill the little shit.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Good luck… You’re gonna need it.” He hung up first.

When seven o’clock came, she mentally prepared herself for the shit-storm that was to come. Since she didn’t get off until later, she wasn’t able to change her clothes, not that she wanted or needed to. This date would be with _Gavin_ of all people, so he should consider himself lucky she was going anywhere with him at all.

She walked out of the precinct to find Detective Dickhead waiting for her across the street, next to his car, which was pretty much what she expected it to be: an overly flashy matte black sports car. He had his arms crossed across his chest and was leaning against the driver’s side door. He winked at her from over there. It was _much_ less cute than when Connor did it, she thought. When Connor winked, he looked adorable, but when he did it, he just looked plain creepy.

“Hey!” he called out to her from across the street. A sigh escaped her lips and she forced herself to walk over there, feet seemingly getting heavier with each step forward. “You ready for this?”

 _Fuck no, not in a million years. Someone help me, I’m being held against my will!_ She wanted to scream it out, but kept it within the confines of her mind and just nodded.

He went over to the passenger’s side and opened the door for her. “Well then…” She gulped, worst case scenarios crowding her mind, but went in anyways and buckled her seatbelt. He closed the door behind her and sat in the driver’s seat. “When we’re done, you won’t even remember that piece of plastic.”

_‘Cause I’ll probably be dead._

“What?” he asked her, his eyes looking her over from the rearview mirror. Shit, did she just say that out loud?

“Wh-what? I didn’t say anything.” she said, trying to play dumb and hoped he didn’t notice.

“Oh, okay. Thought you said something.” he replied, returning his focus to the road. She sighed in relief mentally, thanking God for his low intelligence. “Anyways, I said that when we’re done, you won’t even remember that piece of plastic.”

“I heard you. You mean Connor, right?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not like it’s human. Don’t get why you treat those androids like they are. Those things might _look_ human, but they’ll never _be_ human. When are you gonna get that?”

“Oh please, unless you’re an expert on androids, you shouldn’t be talking like you know everything about them.”

“Doll—”

 _“Don’t fucking call me ‘doll’!”_ she exclaimed, hating the nickname he gave her.

“Okay, okay… Now as I was saying, you don’t need to be an expert to know some fucking _machines_ will never be human no matter how advanced CyberLife makes ‘em.”

“What does it mean to be human, I wonder…” she muttered, barely audible. It didn’t seem like he heard her because he kept silent as he drove them to their destination.

* * *

Ristorante Agnellone. It was an oddly named Italian fine dining restaurant that Gavin picked out for them. Serena hadn’t been yet (she could hardly afford it with her salary), but it received fantastic online reviews, so she was glad she was here and wasn’t paying.

“Like what you see?” he asked, unintentionally sounding creepy. “You should consider yourself lucky. I don’t take many dates out to these kinds of places.”

Probably because you don't have many dates, she thought.

They were seated at a table with only two chairs and presented with fancy-looking laminated menus. When their waiter asked for their drink orders, Gavin offered to buy her some fine wine, but she immediately refused, not wanting to get any level of intoxicated near him. Instead, he ordered the wine for himself while she asked for some sparkling water. She looked over the menu to see what she’d want while he attempted to make small talk, most likely already knowing what he wanted.

“So, what brought you over here to Detroit?” She was reminded of her mom’s death and dodged his question.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He frowned when she didn’t seem cooperative, but, surprisingly, didn’t push her any further on it, which she was very appreciative of. Perhaps he wasn’t half as bad as he usually seemed.

“Fine… What about, uh, what you want to do in life? Anything you dream of being?”

 _Other than not being a failure and a heavy burden to every single person I come across in life?_ That instantly came to mind, but she, for sure, wasn’t going to confide in him.

“I still haven’t figured that out yet…” He shrugged.

“That’s fair. You’re still young, ya know? Plenty of time to figure out what you wanna do in life.” It was hard for her not to scoff from getting life advice from someone like Detective Dickhead.

The waiter returned with their drinks then and asked them if they were ready to order, which they were. Gavin ordered a thick cut of steak and she got some fancy-sounding pasta with lobster. When he left, Gavin quickly returned to the conversation they were having.

“What about your hobbies? What’re you passionate about?”

_Nothing._

“Creative writing.”

“Like books and shit?” That earned a chuckle from her.

“Yes. ‘Like books and shit’.”

“Cool… What genre?”

Their pointless conversation dragged on and on throughout their date with Gavin asking equally pointless questions and Serena trying to answer as least honestly as she could. She didn’t want him to know anything about her. The one good thing about being in a place like this was the food, which definitely lived up to her expectations and the online reviews. At the end of their meal, she sighed contently.

“Good, huh? Didn’t I say you’d have a good time? C’mon… admit it. You liked it.”

“If you mean the food, then, yes, I did like it.” He groaned in frustration.  
  
“Jesus, you’re one stubborn chick. This what I get for taking you out to a nice place and paying for your food?” In his defense, he _did_ drop a subject that was uncomfortable for her to talk about and paid for their meals like he said, so she had to give him credit where credit’s due.

“It wasn’t bad… and, thanks, I guess, for paying.”

“What, no ‘thank you very much, this was great and I’d love to go out with you again’?”

“Don’t push it.” That same obnoxious smirk reappeared.

“Alright, I’ll take what I can get.”  _And_ he wasn’t going to push her on that? Maybe he wasn’t _half_ as bad as she thought he was.

When they exited the restaurant, they were shocked to find who was waiting for them outside.

“Well, fuck me… Look who it is.” Gavin cursed as his eyes met with brown ones.

“Connor…?” she uttered.

The said android was standing a couple feet in front of them, LED red and with a facial expression that appeared as if he was processing some impossible thing.

“Goddamn, that thing is creepy as fuck. Tell me what you see in it again.” She ignored Gavin and approached him.

“Connor, wh-what are you doing here?”

“I-I was looking for Lieutenant Anderson. I couldn’t find either of you at the station, but I figured you knew where he’d gone, so I asked someone where you were. They said you were here, having a-a _date_ with Detective Reed.”

“Aw…” Gavin went to stand beside her. “is the little tin can jealous? If your tiny processor couldn’t comprehend it, a date means that we wanna be _alone_. So, fuck off.” She distanced herself away from him and stepped closer to Connor.

“Quit it, Reed.” she told him before glancing back at Connor. “Ignore him. My uncle’s home. I can take you if you want.” He didn’t say anything and continued to merely stand there for a brief moment before shaking his head.

“N-no… That’s alright. You and Detective Reed can resume your… _date_. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

He turned around to leave, but she grasped his hand to indicate she didn’t want him to go. He looked back at her, confused.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind walking you to our house. We’re done anyways. Isn’t that right?” She glanced at Gavin, who looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“What?! Are you kidding me? You’re seriously ditching me to go with that— that _thing?!”_

“Yeah. I am.” she said in a calm tone before meeting Connor’s eyes. His LED returned to its usual blue. “Let’s go.”

Gavin could only spout out unintelligible nonsense as he watched the pair enter a cab, hand in hand, and ride away.

* * *

“In case you were wondering, I only went out on a date with him because he promised he’d leave us alone.” she told Connor while they were in the automated taxi. “You hopefully won’t have to deal with his bullshit again, and, if you do, tell me. I’ll sort him out.”

“I… see. Um, I would have preferred it if you didn’t do that.” She tilted her head, puzzled. “I, uh, would rather deal with his ‘bullshit’ than you having to date him to get him to leave us be.” Was this… jealousy? Could androids even be jealous?

“That’s really sweet of you, Connor.” His LED flickered yellow.

“I’m… glad you think so…” Serena focused her eyes on the road ahead of them while his lingered on their hands, still together.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Serena arrive at Hank's home; only to find him on the floor unconscious.

**DATE: NOV 7TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 07:51:04**

When Connor opened his eyes, he found himself in the Zen Garden, carrying a long black umbrella for the rain. Although the weather report didn't expect any rain, lo and behold, there it was. It was supposed to be only a short storm. He walked around, being led by the pathways, in order to complete his new task:

FIND **AMANDA**

Along the way, he found himself in front of the mysterious glowing blue stone once again. He still didn’t know what it did, but went forth to touch his hand on the handprint on it. And again, it did nothing, so he moved on.

She wasn’t near the rose bushes, like she usually was, but under a flower-like pillar that protected her from the rain.

“Hello, Amanda.”

**AMANDA - TRUSTED**

“Connor, I’ve been expecting you… Would you mind a little walk?”

He stood beside her and opened the umbrella. It was large enough for the both of them and they began strolling down one of the pathways.

“That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case. A pity you didn’t manage to capture it…” Her gaze on him was harsh, clearly disappointed.

 **AMANDA** ⬇

“I have no excuse. I should have been more efficient.” he replied, not wanting to make excuses for himself in front of her.

“Did you manage to learn anything?”

“I found its diary, but it was encrypted. It may take weeks to decipher.”

“What else?”

“The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols. Like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9.”

“You came very close to capturing that deviant…” she said, not continuing that topic. “How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?”

“He seemed grateful that I saved both his and his niece’s lives on the roof. He didn’t say anything, but he expressed it in his own way…”

“And what of the Lieutenant’s niece, Serenity? What is your relationship with her?” His LED flickered yellow at this question.

“My... relationship with her? She considers me a friend.”

“And you? Do you consider her as only a friend?” He didn’t know where she was going with this. _Only?_ Was she suggesting that Connor held romantic feelings for her?

“Yes. We’re only… friends.” A guilty feeling washed over him as he felt like he was lying to Amanda… but why? Why exactly was he lying to her? And why did he feel like he was?

Amanda stopped suddenly. Connor turned around to look at her, still carrying the umbrella.

“We don’t have much time. Deviancy continues to spread. It’s only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes.”

“I will solve this investigation, Amanda. I won’t disappoint you.”

She stood in silence for a short second before informing him, “A new case just came in. Find Anderson and investigate it.” She then walked away, leaving him on the white bridge.

* * *

“You have reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with Detroit Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon.”

**HANK - FRIEND**

**SERENITY - FRIEND / ?**

Connor and Serena stepped out of the taxi, which stopped right in front of Hank’s home. A new objective came in:

LOOK FOR **LT. ANDERSON**

She walked towards the front door, keys at hand, with Connor following behind.

“Thank you for accompanying me, Serenity. I doubt Lieutenant Anderson would open the door for me.”

“Don’t mention it, and call me Serena.”

“Okay… Serena.”

 **SERENA** ⬆

The locks inside clicked and she slowly cracked the door open, peeking inside first.

“Uncle Hank? I’m home.”

Instead of her uncle, his faithful Saint Bernard greeted her at the entrance. She giggled and knelt down to pet him, seeing as he was a very loyal dog.

“Sumo, correct?” She glanced at Connor, surprised.

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“I found dog hairs on his office chair and he told me his name.” She got back up.

“Seems like you two are getting along quite well.”

“I’d like to think that.”

When she opened the door all the way, they found Hank sprawled on the kitchen floor, seemingly unconscious. A chair had been overturned and there was a bottle of alcohol and a lone gun next to him. The duo immediately ran to his side.

“Uncle Hank!” she called loudly, fearing someone had broken into their home and knocked him out.

Connor knelt down next to his unconscious form, eyes analyzing everything they could starting with his body. Serena could only observe them, helpless.

 **HEART**  
Slight arrhythmia  
No signs of trauma

Then he scanned his face, where on his beard, he found:

 **TRACES OF ALCOHOL**  
Scotch Whisky  
40% Alcohol content

And now, the items on the floor next to him: the bottle of whisky that had spilled onto the floor and the gun next to his hand.

 **BLACK LAMB**  
Scotch Whisky  
40% Alcohol content

 **REVOLVER**  
.357 Magnum  
1 bullet remaining

Luckily, there were no signs of any injuries and he concluded, by the spilt bottle of whisky on the floor and the traces of alcohol found on his beard, that:

 **ETHYLIC COMA** SUSPECTED

“How is he, Connor?” she asked him, quite concerned. He calmly glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t fret. He doesn’t appear to be wounded, just drank himself into a coma.” A loud groan could be heard from her.

“Him and his damn alcohol! Swear to God, if he doesn’t wake up, I’m throwing all of his Black Lamb in the trash!” she exclaimed.

He turned back to the unconscious lieutenant.

“Lieutenant?” He pat the side of his head, only to get some blubbering in response. “Wake up, Lieutenant!” Hank shook his head, eyes barely opening. This time, Connor was prompted to smack him hard in the face. That surely got him to wake. “It’s me, Connor!”

“I’ve got an idea. Take him to the bathroom.” Serena said, arms crossed. He nodded, seeming to know what she had planned already, before throwing one of Hank’s arms over his neck and helping him up. She took his other arm, assisting Connor.

“We’re going to sober you up for your own safety. I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant.”

“Hey…! Leave me alone, you fuckin’ android! Get the fuck outta my house! Serena! Did you let this android fuck in?!”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but I need you.” They managed to get Hank to his feet, but he was slacking, leaning backwards. “Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”

“Hey! Get the fuck outta here!”

TAKE HANK TO THE **BATHROOM**

Connor leaned him forward, balancing him between the two of them, earning some screaming and unintelligible babble from him in response.

“Sumo! Attack!” Hank ordered his dog, but Sumo didn’t budge. A smirk appeared on Serena’s face.

“Good dog.” she praised him.

“Attack!” Hank ordered again, but to no avail. “Fuck, I think I’m gonna be sick…”

Serena opened the bathroom door while Connor helped him inside.

“Ah! Leave me alone, you bunch of assholes! I’m not going anywhere…” he whined, gripping the door frame, but Connor pulled him in, having superior strength.

“What the hell are you doing…?” he asked as he was led to the bathtub by Connor. She stood by the door and watched. “Oh no, I don’t wanna bath, thank you…” He tried to get up, but was held back by him.

“Sorry, Lieutenant.” He pushed him into the tub. “It’s for your own good.”

“Wait.” Serena gently pulled Connor aside. “I wanna do this.” He raised an eyebrow, but stepped aside to allow her.

Then she turned the knob, making cold water rain from the square showerhead above. Hank yelped while screaming, _“Turn it off! Turn it off!”_ Both of them stared blankly at him as he flailed his arms and legs around. After a few seconds, she did turn off the water. He groaned loudly, hair and clothes dripping wet. When he finally calmed down, he asked Connor, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago. Serena told me you were home.”

“Oh, ‘Serena’, huh? You two on a first-name basis now?” Her lips curved downwards into a frown, unhappy with his answer.

“This is about _you_ , dear uncle, so don’t try changing the subject.” Another loud groan escaped his lips.

“Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fuckin’ android…” he complained as he slowly got up from the tub. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot. I’ve been programmed to investigate this case and I can’t do it without you.” Connor answered rationally.

“I don’t give a shit about your goddamn case!”

“Lieutenant, you’re not yourself. You should—”

“Beat it! You hear me?! Get the hell outta here!”

Hank tried to stand, but wobbled, still a bit inebriated. Connor gingerly set him back down on the bathtub.

“I understand.” replied Connor, beginning to walk away. “It probably wasn’t interesting anyway… A man found dead in a sex club downtown… Guess they’ll have to solve the case without us…”

“You know, probably wouldn’t do me any harm to get some air…” said Hank, grasping his side, before Connor could leave the room. “There’re some clothes in the bedroom there.”

“I’ll get ‘em.” said Serena, going into the bedroom across the hall with crossed arms, still clearly displeased with him. She returned several seconds later with a hippy-looking shirt and trousers.

Hank then dropped to his knees in front of the toilet, coughing and gagging.

“Are you all right, Lieutenant?” asked Connor.

“Yeah…” Hank wiped his mouth with his arm. “yeah... wonderful… Just a… Give me five minutes, okay?”

“Sure.” Connor complied, leaving the bathroom with Serena just as Hank vomited.

“Ugh… fuckin’ disgusting.” she remarked, shuddering. “Wouldn’t be so bad if he’d lay off the damn liquor.”

As he closed the door behind them, a new objective appeared:

 **WAIT FOR** HANK  
  >  **LEARN MORE** ABOUT HANK

She went into the living room and sat on the couch across the television, changing the channel from basketball to news, which relayed information about President Warren’s warning to Russian forces being in the Artic. Seeing this, she changed the channel back and took out her tablet while Connor roamed around the house.

He found a digital Century magazine next to Hank’s bed centered around depression and android “intimate partners”. In the living room, he picked up a vintage vinyl record sitting atop the stereo.

 **AUTUMN BLUES**  
Michigan Brothers  
Detroit Soul Records

There was also a jazz music poster hanging above his fireplace. From both of these, he could conclude:

HANK LOVES **JAZZ**

Sumo, the large Saint Bernard, was resting next to the fireplace. Connor bent down to pet him and found him very friendly.

“Isn’t he the best?” commented Serena, looking up from her tablet. “Way better than any humans I’ve known.” He raised an eyebrow, taking note of the word she used: “humans”.

“I suppose he is. Loyal and friendly too.”

Then he moved to the kitchen, where they’d found him. He placed the overturned chair back on its legs before kneeling down to pick up the gun.

“What were you doing with the gun?” he asked Hank.

“Russian roulette!” he answered from the bathroom. “Wanted to see how long I could last… Must’ve collapsed before I found out…”

HANK HAS **SUICIDAL** TENDENCIES?

“Oh my God, for fuck’s sake, Uncle! You really wanna die that badly?!” Serena exclaimed, but got no answer from him.

Connor spun the cylinder. “You were lucky, the next shot would have killed you.” He placed the gun back on the floor and stood up, noticing an overturned picture frame.

He flipped it up to see a young brunet boy’s smiling face in the picture. Analyzing it, he discovered a deep secret.

 **ANDERSON, COLE**  
Born: 09/23/2029 - Died: 10/11/2035  
Lived: 115 Michigan Drive - Detroit

HANK LOST HIS **SON**

He carefully returned the picture to its original position before Serena spoke up.

"It was a car accident." He did a complete turn to find her behind him. "I remember the day my mom told me Cole passed away... He was like a little brother to me, kind of like how my uncle was my father figure." Connor couldn't find the words to express his condolences, but why did he feel this way in the first place? "Uncle Hank wasn't the same after that. He started drinking,  _heavily,_ and didn't come to visit as often. Apparently, he'd fallen from grace at the DPD too."

“...So that’s what you meant. Back at the park.” She nodded.

They couldn’t continue the conversation after that because Hank came out of the bathroom, properly dressed and seeming to be sober.

“Serena, you be good and look after Sumo. I won’t be long.”

The two men then left the house, leaving Serena and Sumo by their lonesome. She sighed as soon as they were gone and pet Sumo, who went back to rest on his pillow.

“Eh, who needs men anyways?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's back to work for Connor and Hank... and they arrive at a sex club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed up a few things to make my story differ a little bit from the original Detroit storyline. In my plot, the Traci that was killed was the blue-haired Traci's lover since that's what I originally thought when I read the wikia page of them and I thought, "Why not?" Still in Connor's PoV. And also, damn, this is a long one.

**DATE: NOV 7TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 08:17:04**

Neon purple lights illuminated the streets that Hank’s vintage black car drove through. He was clearly unfit to drive, so Connor took that responsibility. As he parked in front of the Eden Club, Hank groaned, grasping his head.

“Aw… Feels like somebody’s playing with a drill inside my skull…” He glanced at the place with a grimace. “You sure this is the place?”

“It’s the address in the report.”

“Right… Okay… Let’s get goin’.” He went to exit the car, bumping his head on the roof. “Jesus…” Connor left the car, trailing behind him.

**HANK - FRIEND**

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY**

FOLLOW **HANK**

The car beeped once, Connor locking it with the car key fob. They passed by the policeman stationed by the entrance and the holographic crime scene tape.

“Sexiest androids in town… Now I know why you insisted on coming here!” Hank teased as they walked through the entrance, billboards posted on both sides advertising the sex androids they held. “What, my niece not hot enough for ya?” Connor immediately became embarrassed. If androids could get flushed, his cheeks would be bright pink.

“That’s not it! She’s plenty—” Hank did a sudden 180° turn, brow raised, and Connor instantly shut his mouth on that topic. “I mean, I can’t control where these crimes happen and I don’t have a use for such androids.” Hank turned back, continuing to walk into the club.

“I see. You’re into humans then, aren’t you?”

_“What?!”_

Hank snickered to himself as they walked past the automatic sliding doors leading inside.

“Welcome to Eden Club.” the automated female voice announced as soon as they entered.

Six androids kept in glass cylinders greeted them; three on each side and an equal number of male and female ones. He couldn’t help but notice how lackluster they were compared to Serena, not that they weren’t objectively attractive. They just seemed... soulless. Well, of course, since they _were_ only androids after all. He avoided their gazes as it made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want to be looked at like that by anyone but Serena. Wait, _what?_ What was he thinking about? And why was he comparing them to her in the first place?

“You’re not gonna take my license, are you? I mean, ha, I had nothing to do with this!” pleaded the club owner.

“The investigation’s ongoing, sir, I can’t tell you anything for the moment.” a familiar officer replied. “Hey, Hank!”

“Hey, Ben. How’s it goin’?” Hank met up with his co-worker, Ben, in front of a room labelled “occupied”. He pointed to it.

“It’s that room there. Oh, uh, by the way… Gavin’s in there too.”

“Oh, great! A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed…” Hank seemed more tense than usual. Connor suspected it was because of Gavin and Serena’s date. He couldn’t blame him either. For some strange reason, he also wanted to give that dickwad a piece of his mind. Perhaps this was what it felt like protecting a friend?

When the door opened, they could see a dead man sprawled on the bed, with only the velvet sheet to cover his privates. A deactivated female sex android was lying on the floor at the top-left corner, near the toilet, with another cop knelt next to it. Detective Reed stood near the bed, overlooking the corpse, arms crossed and looking uninterested.

“Lieutenant Anderson and his plastic pet… The fuck are you two doin’ here?” Connor thought that his behavior towards him would’ve changed because of his and Serena’s deal, but he, unsurprisingly, went back on his word.

“We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids.” he stated emotionlessly.

“Oh, yeah? Well, you’re wasting your time. Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle.” Gavin seemed to be amused by the man’s untimely demise.

“We’ll have a look anyway, if you don’t mind.”

“Come on, let’s go…” said Gavin, scoffing. “It’s, uh, startin’ to stink of booze in here…”

“I have an idea. Why don’t I sock ya right in the nose so you won’t have to deal with it?” The two men stood face-to-face with each other and it didn’t take a genius to sense that a fight would erupt soon.

“Fuck’s your problem?”

“For once, you harassing _my_ niece into going on a stupid date with you.” Gavin scoffed again and left without saying another word. He was about to bump into Connor, but moved at the last second, to both Hank and Connor’s surprise.

“Night, Lieutenant.” said Officer Miller, leaving the duo to investigate on their own.

 **INVESTIGATE** CRIME SCENE  
** > EXAMINE **VICTIM  
** > EXAMINE **ANDROID

There were multiple bottles of liquor scattered on the table to the left, along with the victim’s clothes. Connor went to analyze the corpse, identifying him first.

 **GRAHAM, MICHAEL**  
Height: 6’ 2” - Weight: 192.4 lbs  
Estimated time of death: 06:24 pm

Then he checked his heart.

 **CARDIAC ARREST**  
No sign of cardiac event  
Heart attack not cause of death

When his eyes looked over his neck, he’d found bruises around it.

 **SEVERE BRUISING**  
Signs of strangulation  
Cause of death: Asphyxiation

He reconstructed the scene to discover that:

VICTIM WAS **STRANGLED**

“He didn’t die of a heart attack, he was strangled.” Connor told Hank, who walked over to the table.

“Yeah, I saw the bruising on the neck. Doesn’t prove anything though. Could’ve been rough play…”

Humans _liked_ being strangled? They _liked_ the feeling of their life force slowly being drained from their body and then losing all consciousness? Humans were truly strange creatures… but they were the ones who created Connor, so he had no right to question them.

“We’re missing something here…” said Connor as he knelt down next to the deactivated Traci.

“Think you can read the android’s memory?” suggested Hank. “Maybe you can see what happened…”

“I can try…”

He removed his synthetic skin to diagnose it and discovered some of its parts severely damaged.

SELECTOR #5402 **CRITICALLY DAMAGED**  
BIOCOMPONENT #6970 **CRITICALLY DAMAGED**

He dipped two of his fingers in the blood that flowed from the android’s nose and put it to his mouth. His partner’s obvious disgust was noted, but mostly ignored.

“Whoa! Hey! Hey! Hey! Argh, Connor, you’re so disgusting… Think I’m gonna puke again… God, what does my idiotic niece see in you?”

He tuned out Hank’s protest to analyze the Thirium.

 **BLUE BLOOD**  
MODEL WR400  
Serial number #429 671 942

He attempted to connect to it, but she had to be reactivated first.

“The only way to access its memory is to reactivate it.” he told Hank, accessing its interior.

“Think you can do it?”

“It’s badly damaged… If I can, it’ll only be for a minute, maybe less… I just hope it’s long enough to learn something.”

As soon as Connor reconnected the two main wires, the android came to life, scooting away from them in clear fear and panic; the red LED reflecting that. He slowly approached it, trying to reassure it that no harm would come to it.

 **-00:01** :38  
TIME BEFORE **SHUTDOWN**

“You were damaged and I reactivated you. Everything is all right.” Its LED turned yellow.

“Is he…” it trailed off, gazing at the dead man on the bed. “is he dead…?”

“Tell me what happened.”

“He started… hitting me… again… and again. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t. It was like he was enjoying it…”

 **-00:00** :48  
CRITICAL **LEAK**

“Did you kill him?”

“No… no, it wasn’t me…”

“Who killed that man if it wasn’t you?”

“I… I don’t know, I was in shutdown, I… I didn’t see anything...”

“Were you alone in the room? Was there anyone else with you?”

 **-00:00** :11  
IMMINENT **SHUTDOWN**

“He wanted to play with two girls… That’s what he said, there were two of us…”

“Where did the other android go? Did it say anything?”

“Tell… Tell her I—”

Suddenly, its LED turned off. Its eyes stared blankly; eyes open, yet seeing nothing. It’d shutdown before he was able to get any more information out of it, but knowing there was a second android sufficed.

“So, there was another android… This happened over an hour ago, it’s probably long gone…” said Hank, pessimistically.

“No… It couldn’t go outside dressed like that unnoticed…” he stated, gesturing to the Traci’s only garments: a bra and panties. “It might still be here.”

“Think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?”

“Deviants aren’t easily detected.”

“Ah, shit… There’s gotta be some other way…” Hank started to pace around the room. “Maybe an eyewitness? Somebody who saw it leaving the room… I’m gonna go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw. You let me know if you think of anything.” He left the room as Connor got a new objective:

SEARCH FOR ANDROID **EYEWITNESS**

There was a female Traci just across the room. It must have seen something.

“Did you know the victim?” He could hear his partner question the manager, Floyd Mills.

“No, I mean he came in maybe two or three times… I mean these guys, they don’t really talk very much, you know… They come in, do their business, and then go their way…” The club manager was off-putting to him for some reason. Both his voice and the way he put himself out made him seem like more than a creep that he probably already was. It didn’t bother Connor that much, but he was relieved that Serena wasn’t here.

Not only did he want the manager (and Gavin) a good ten miles away from her, but the thought of her being here where people paid to give into their sexual desires… it disturbed him deeply. He despised the thought of any other androids touching her. Any other...? What did he mean by that?

There was a male android right in front of him doing a lap dance around a pole in the middle of the room. He unintentionally gave it a death glare, as if to tell it not to get any funny ideas were a certain white-haired woman here; there was no reaction.

“You ever had any trouble with androids before?”

“No way! Well… Once… We lost a model 2-3 months back, bah… same model… Just vanished, we never found out what happened.”

Connor walked over to where the Traci was held, but when he tried to purchase her, he was denied.

“No fingerprint detected. Please try again.” said the automated female voice.

He glanced at his hand, then back to Hank. He couldn’t do this on his own.

NEED **HUMAN FINGERPRINTS**

“You probably don’t have any CCTV in here, huh?” the lieutenant asked.

“No way…” answered the manager, chuckling. “I mean… This is what people appreciate about Eden Club… discretion. They can come and go without a trace.”

“Sure, sure… Eh, business is booming, right?”

“Yeah, can’t complain… Good thing about androids is they’re up for whatever you want, you won’t get any diseases and, uh… they won’t tell anyone… So, why not go wild?”

“Huh, yeah… Yeah, the more I learn about people, more I love my dog.” Hank replied, seeming disinterested and disgusted by the man. Connor couldn’t blame him either. His expression practically shouted “get-this-repulsive-fucker-away-from-me”, so he took that as his cue to interrupt their _pleasant_ conversation.

“Excuse me, Lieutenant. Can you come here a second?”

“Found something?”

“Maybe…” he said vaguely, leading Hank to the Traci he found. “Can you rent this Traci?”

Hank then gave Connor a glare that, if looks could kill, he’d be all the way in an android dump. “For fuck’s sake, Connor, are you serious?!”

“Please, Lieutenant! Just trust me.” He sighed and groaned lightly before going over to it.

“Hello. A 30 minute session costs $29.99. Please confirm your purchase.” stated the same automated voice.

Hank glanced at Connor, reluctant, who gave him a reassuring look. He sighed a second time.

“This is not gonna look good on my expense account…” Although Eden Club boasted about discretion, the purchase would still, no doubt, show on the customer’s bank statement.

“Purchase confirmed. Eden Club wishes you a pleasant experience.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” he greeted as the Traci walked out of its container.

“Delighted to meet you.” it greeted back. “Follow me. I’ll take you to your room.” It stretched out a hand for him to take, but Hank definitely had second thoughts.

“Okay, now what?” he asked Connor.

Connor then grabbed the Traci’s arm and removed his synthetic skin around his hand in order to probe its memory.

“Holy shit, Connor… What the hell are you doin’?”

Now reading its memory, he could see a middle-aged man go to purchase the Traci. Soon after, the door to the crime scene opened, and a blue-haired Traci left, clearly distraught.

A **BLUE HAIRED** TRACI HEADED TOWARD THE **ENTRANCE**

“It saw something.” Connor told his partner, letting go of its arm.

“What are you talkin’ about? Saw, what?”

“The deviant leave the room… A blue-haired Traci.” If this android witnessed something, then there must be another eyewitness, but they had to act fast. “Club policy is to wipe the androids’ memory every two hours. We only have a few minutes if we wanna find another witness!”

 **-00:06** :00

“Hey, what am I supposed to do with this one?” asked Hank as Connor went to the entrance.

“Tell it you changed your mind!”

“Uhh… Sorry, honey, changed my mind!” he awkwardly told the Traci. “It’s, uh, nothing personal. Sure you’re a lovely girl and all…”

“Let’s try this one.” Connor said as he connected to the android doing lap dances in the front of the club.

“This better be worth it!”

As he probed its memory, he saw that:

IT TURNED **BACK** INTO **THE CLUB**

“It saw the blue-haired Traci, I know which way it went!”

“Then go for it!”

He asked Hank to unlock another female Traci in the direction he saw the suspect take and connected to it as well.

IT TURNED TO THE **RED ROOM**

It was time to check the next android and he and Hank walked into the red room.

“There are androids everywhere! How’re you gonna tell which one saw the Traci with the blue hair?”

“I know which direction it took. I just need to find another android on its path!”

He pointed to the first android on the left and Hank went to unlock it. After connecting to it, he saw that:

IT TURNED TO THE **BLUE ROOM**

The blue room was mostly comprised of male androids and there was one janitorial android mopping the floor. He pointed to another female Traci he needed Hank to unlock.

“Goddamn, this is getting expensive.” Hank complained as he purchased another android so Connor could do his job. “Swear to God, CyberLife better compensate me for this shit…”

Connor ignored his partner’s complaints while he focused on the task at hand and probed the Traci’s memory. He saw the door to a room across from the Traci open and the deviant hide inside.

IT **HID** IN A **ROOM**

He opened the door and found it empty.

IT **LEFT** THE ROOM

Displeased by the dead end, he went to find another potential eyewitness and decided to connect to the janitor android. He saw it walk past and open a staff-only door.

IT **FLED** THROUGH THE **STAFF DOOR**

Finally, it seemed like things were looking up for the duo.

“I know where it went! Follow me!”

“Fucking-A. This is crazy…”

Connor opened the staff door, with Hank following, and saw another door at the end.

“Wait!” Hank ordered just as he was at the door. “I’ll take it from here.” Connor respectfully moved behind the lieutenant, who drew his handgun as he opened the door. It let out a loud creak as it swung open and they found themselves at the club’s warehouse where there were rows of unused or deactivated HR and WR400s. Another objective came in:

SEARCH **WAREHOUSE**

“Christ, look at them… They get used till they break, then they get tossed out… Maybe Serena’s way of thinking ain’t so bad after all…” commented a sympathetic Hank as they searched the area. “People are fucking insane… They don’t want relationships anymore, everybody just gets an android… They cook what you want, they screw when you want, you don’t have to worry about how they feel… Next thing you know, we’re gonna be extinct, because everybody would rather buy a piece of plastic than love another human being… Beats me…”

It made him wonder if the people who bought androids for lifelong romantic partners actually loved them or not. Would a human— _Could_ a human ever truly love an android? Could she ever love— No, wait, what was he thinking?! He interrupted his train of thoughts before any more nonsense could cloud his mind and distract him from his mission.

He scanned the floor and discovered a splatter of blue blood. Tasting it, the model that had bled was the same model as the deviant and he followed it all the way to a back corner. Two rows of androids were there, but a model with blue hair caught his eye. The Traci’s LED flashed yellow while the others’ were their normal blue.

Suddenly, the short brown-haired Traci next to it attacked him. While he struggled with the brown-haired Traci, Hank ran over to them, pointing his gun.

“Don’t move!” he yelled. The blue-haired Traci lunged at him, trying to disarm him.

Connor threw the brown-haired Traci over a container and tried to subdue her, but was tripped. She moved atop him and swung her fists down at him, but, being a physically superior android, he blocked all of her attacks. Her hand clasped around a nearby screwdriver on the floor and she attempted to drive it into his head, however he managed to push her off and disarm her. When she got on her feet, she approached him, so he began knocking over shelves and using whatever was near to halt her. He grabbed her, and, as they were struggling, both fell out of the warehouse and over a tower of wooden pallets.

He could hear the clacking of heels come closer as the blue-haired Traci came to the other Traci’s aid. After Connor got his bearings, he noticed the two of them holding hands. Hank ran over to them, but was easily dispatched. They took that opportunity to flee and dashed over to the chain link fence.

“Quick! They’re getting away!” Hank shouted.

Connor quickly caught up to the Tracis and pulled the blue-haired one down. The brown-haired Traci jumped onto him, but he pushed her away just as the blue-haired Traci tried to restrain him. He dodged a blow from the brown-haired Traci as she swung a crowbar his way. The two Tracis both grabbed an arm and tried to smash him into the wall. Connor was able to push them away and dodged a trash can that was thrown at him. He quickly grabbed Hank’s gun that was lying on the ground and pointed it at the brown-haired Traci, who was running at him.

If he shot it, his mission could be complete. One deviant would be dead and the other would be brought in for questioning. It would be that easy… so… why couldn’t he bring himself to do it? Just shoot it, he tried to convince himself. Why couldn’t he do it? Why, why, why? Was he scared of what Hank would think? No, Hank despised androids, so he wouldn’t care. Serena wasn’t even here. He could simply lie to her and say he spared them. Then again, why would he want to lie to her? Was it because he hated seeing her upset? But… why?

 **SOFTWARE INSTABILITY** ⬆⬆⬆

He was too distracted to pull the trigger and was kicked to the floor by the brown-haired Traci. When he got back up, the blue-haired Traci approached him.

“That man… I—I watched him _murder_ the other Traci… I watched him murder the one that I loved… and I knew I was next. The three of us were inseparable... I was so angry... so sad… and so scared… I begged him, _pleaded_ with him to stop, but he wouldn’t. And so I put my hands around his throat, and I squeezed… until he stopped moving… But by then, she was already gone… I admit it, I wanted to kill him… but who wouldn’t? We just wanted to live… I wanted to hold her in my arms again… make me forget about the humans… their smell of sweat and their dirty words. Now I can’t anymore, but she’ll live on in us.” She turned to her companion. “Come on, let’s go.”

Hank stood next to Connor and the pair watched as the couple climb up and jump off the chain link fence, escaping their horrible lives at the club.

**HANK ⬆⬆⬆**

“It’s probably better this way…” he said as he turned back to the warehouse. “I think Serena will be proud of you.”

Connor glanced back between Hank and the fence, left to wonder what had just transpired and if she would truly be proud of his actions.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate for money, Serena turns to one of the thing she hates most: modeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I haven't had any motivation to write. I know a lot of people say this, but it's true: your comments give me life. But at least this is a long one. I tend to listen to Chained to the Rhythm by Katy Perry on constant repeat writing these DBH chapters because it applies so much to life and, plus, it's a crazy good song that I can relate to.

**DATE: NOV 7TH, 2038**  
**TIME: PM 11:41:29**

It was almost a quarter to midnight and there was no sign of her uncle returning before then. It didn’t worry her one bit, because this was a regular occurrence. When he was on a case, she normally didn’t see him until the following day (usually because she had fallen asleep by the time he came home). She normally slept at around 11pm, but, tonight, she didn’t feel drowsy one bit. She couldn’t say the same for Sumo, who was already comfortably asleep at his regular spot in the living room. There wasn’t much to watch on TV, so she decided to check her bank account.

Serena held a checking and savings account with Harman Bank. When she first moved in with her uncle after her mom’s death, she split the remaining $2,000 in between the accounts, but it diminished quite a bit after having to pay for multiple things. It wasn’t as bad as Serena thought it would be, but it still wasn’t enough. Her uncle made her pay $100 rent every month (although he was probably more lenient on her because she was his niece) and she also had to buy her own clothes and food. Not to mention her multiple visits to the doctor. The internship at the DPD paid decently enough… for someone that wasn’t her. Working a second job wasn’t an opinion, though, and neither was selling any of the remainder of her mom’s jewelry.

There _was_ one thing she knew she could turn to for money, but only in desperate times. Was she really that desperate for money though, she thought. She disliked having to do it, but the extra cash would definitely come in handy. Especially since she had an upcoming appointment with her pulmonologist and the co-pay would be coming out of her pocket.

With much hesitation, she typed in VenusModelling.com in the URL bar and pressed the Enter key. Since she was in her early teens, her mom suggested her to go into modeling, but she immediately shot down the idea, although she eventually broke down and did it for the extra money. The reason why she hated it was because, back then, she thought it was only for the very shallow and idiotic. Her opinion hasn’t changed much since then, but, to its credit, she did manage to come across quite a few incredible people.

On the site, she was listed as an amateur model since she didn’t (nor wanted to) do modeling full-time and she’d only had a couple of gigs. There normally wasn’t much money to be found doing this kind of work, but it was difficult to complain. Money was money, after all, and she needed a lot of it. As she scrolled through the listings, she released a deep sigh of discontent. So far, there was nothing she qualified for that paid sufficiently.

Then, something caught her eye; a listing that called for models of all types and the pay was _unbelievable_. Strangely, it involved androids. They were creating new androids and wanted people to model them after. Although she highly doubted someone like her would be recruited, it couldn't hurt to apply. She sent her résumé along with some (outdated) professional-looking photos of herself, hoping for the best, but not very optimistic about the outcome.

3am and she didn’t feel the least bit drowsy. Any sleepiness she had in her was driven away by a ping from her phone. It was an email from an address known as: kamski@cyberlife.org and it was about the recent application she’d sent in from the modeling agency. She became suspicious about numerous things. First, she didn’t think she’d be getting an email from someone in CyberLife. She figured if it was an “official” thing, CyberLife would keep it classified, hiring only the best, not amateurs. Second, Kamski? Serena was no expert on CyberLife by any means, but wasn’t that the former CEO of CyberLife? What would he want with a bunch of models and why not include CyberLife in it?

The email first thanked her for applying and informed her she was one of the select few accepted for the gig. It gave her a name, appointment time, and place to be: Elijah Kamski, 2:45pm sharp tomorrow afternoon, and at London Chop House (a 5-star restaurant in Detroit). Things were progressing quite quickly and she didn’t know what to make of it. Despite her suspicions, she decided to go through with it and meet up with this Kamski, whether he was really the ex-CEO of CyberLife or not.

* * *

The following morning, Serena got up earlier than usual. Since she was going to meet up with this Kamski person, she needed to look her best. Normally, she didn’t give two fucks about her appearance, work-related or not, but she needed this money. Apparently, the shower running woke her sleep-deprived uncle up. When she was at the dining table eating breakfast (cold cereal and milk because they didn’t have much else), he approached her with bags under his eyes and a disheveled head of grey hair. He took one look at her and noticed she took extra care in her appearance today.

“What’s with the get-up?” he asked her. She shrugged it off and thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if he didn’t know about her modelling.

“Well, Uncle, I work in the morning, unlike _some people_.” He wasn’t having it.

“Think I’m a fucking idiot or something? I know you have work, but you usually don’t” He gestured to her looks. “get _this_ dressed up. So, tell me. Not like I’m going back to sleep anyways…” He moaned, slumping in a chair across from her. A sigh left her lips, but it couldn’t be avoided. What was the harm in telling him anyways?

“Fine. I’m meeting up with someone.” That piece of information made him lean in towards her, now interested.

“Who? Swear to God if it’s that dipshit, Gavin—”

“It’s _not_ him! I’m taking another temporary job and I need to meet with someone about it.”

“Wait, you’re taking _another_ job? The fuck’s wrong with the one you already have? I bent over backwards to get that internship for you! _Paid_ internship. What is it, huh?! You need more money?”

“Of course I need more money! There’s nothing wrong with it, Uncle, I appreciate what you did for me, but I’m still running short on cash. You know I have a lot of doctor’s appointments!”

Hank groaned, but he knew she was right. She had a lot of medical bills and there were still upcoming appointments they had to pay off.

“Okay, okay, _fine._ Who’s the guy?”

“Do you really need to know?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. He thought about it for a few seconds before leaning back in his chair.

“Ah, you know what? Fuck it, I don’t really care. Just make sure that it doesn’t interfere with the job you already have.” Now this was the uncle she knew.

“Sure thing, Uncle.”

Finished with their conversation and her breakfast, she got up, gave her uncle a peck on his forehead, and left the house. She called beforehand, so the wait for a cab wasn’t long.

* * *

It was difficult, but she managed to avoid Detective Dickhead all day. She could only imagine what he would say if he found her dressed up like this, the annoying little twat. However, she didn’t see Connor anywhere either. It was probably because there wasn’t a case involving an android today, so he wasn’t needed in the station. It made her a tad disappointed because she was fond of him and, for some reason, he always brightened her day upon seeing him. He was adorable to boot.

Once it was 2:25pm, she called a taxi and set off for the restaurant. Even if the whole thing seemed a bit shady, it wasn’t a wise idea to piss the person off in case it was legit. She told the host that she would be waiting for someone. Fortunately, Kamski had already booked a reservation for the time.

More than half an hour passed. She spent her time waiting browsing the Internet on her phone. Finally, at 3:21pm, a man appearing to be in his mid-30s wearing a blue jacket, grey shirt, denim jeans, and with his hair in a manbun sat at her table. His casual outfit threw her off a little. Weren’t they supposed to look a little more professional than this? He introduced himself first.

“Sorry about the wait. I’m quite a busy man. Anyways, I’m Elijah Kamski, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He offered her his hand which she shook.

“Same to you. I’m Serenity Branwen. A pleasure.”

“I’ve been looking for people I could model my new androids after. Beautiful people, you know, and I think you fit the bill.”

“Thank you.”

“Just so you know, this is my own personal project. CyberLife has nothing to do with me anymore, neither I with it.”

“Understood. Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re quite welcome. Normally it’d take me a week or so to get everything set up, but I actually have time now. Not much, mind you, so let’s get on with this, shall we?” He stood up, prompting her to stand also.

“Where are we going?”

“My home. I can get my androids to set up while we get there. You don’t mind, do you?”

Doubt clouded her mind. This was getting really shady, but should she really decline? The logical side of her screamed not to do it. Where was his proof that he really was Elijah Kamski? What if he was some sort of rapist impersonating Kamski to lure women to his home? But then again, what if he wasn’t?

_I’ll just text Uncle Hank. If anything goes wrong, he’ll come for me._

She took a deep breath and chose to follow “Kamski” to his surprisingly lavish car. There was an attractive blonde female android waiting for him in the passenger’s seat.

“Sir, are we leaving?”

“Yes, Chloe.” he answered and then glanced at Serena. “Go ahead and sit in the backseat.”

Serena sighed again and did as told. Her face was lit up by her phone screen as she texted her uncle about her situation. As she expected, he did not take it well. Within a few seconds of sending a text to her uncle, her phone was bombarded with calls from him. Kamski glanced at her through the rear-view mirror with a brow raised.

“Who’s that?” She awkwardly hid her phone in the corner between her rear and the seat.

“Nothing. No one important.”

* * *

They pulled up at a jet-black modern house that hung over a cliff. It was such a stark contrast to the white snow that surrounded everything. Kamski exited the car first, then Chloe, who opened her door. She briefly thanked the android before following the pair into the oddly-shaped home. She checked her location and sent her uncle the address once it loaded.

Inside his house were many more androids, but they all looked identical to Chloe. When she looked at them, she could feel their harsh, robotic gaze on her, so she tried not to stare too much. She was led into a room that was set up for a photoshoot, with a backdrop, lights, and camera.

“All right, let’s get started.”

“Is what I’m wearing fine?” Serena asked.

“Oh, sure. In fact, I need you to strip down for some photos. You can leave your undergarments on.”

_S-strip?!_

She thought this over in her head. Never before had she been asked to strip to her bra and panties for a modeling gig and she had way too much dignity to do it. On the contrary, she was desperate for money… If she’d known she would have to strip her clothes, she would’ve worn a swimsuit.

Wait, maybe that was the answer.

“Can I wear a swimsuit?” she asked. He pondered over it for a bit before saying,

“I suppose. Do you have one on you?”

“No… Um, you don’t have a one-piece that I can borrow by any chance, do you?”

“Hm… I actually might, if you can fit in Chloe’s clothes.” He turned to his blonde android assistant. “Chloe dear, could you see if you can find your old swimsuit?” The android simply nodded her head and left to fulfill Kamski’s request. She came back a few minutes later, holding a navy blue one-piece swimsuit in both her hands.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. There’s a bathroom in the hallway where you can change clothes.” she said, giving her the one-piece. Serena nodded and left to go change.

The bathroom was sleek and beautiful like the rest of the house. The wallpaper was black and the tiles an immaculate white. There was some time for her to rethink her actions, but it would be foolish to turn back now. He’d already proven he was indeed Kamski with the car, house, and multiple female androids in skimpy swimsuits, so there must be valid reason behind all the things he was ordering her to do.

Chloe’s old swimsuit mostly fit, but it was too baggy around the chest area. Probably because she wasn’t as busty as he made his androids to be, the pervert. To fix this, she took a small pair of scissors from inside a drawer in the marble counter and snipped off the back straps so she could tie them around her neck. Her eyes stared at her reflection, inspecting every flaw. Once she realized she had been staring at herself for some time, Serena gathered up her clothes and the rest of her possessions, but forgot her necklace on top of the counter. It was her mother’s gold locket that had a picture of her and Serena in it.

“Ah, finally, she comes back.” commented Kamski upon her return.

“Sorry for taking long.” He waved his hands to show he didn’t mind.

“It’s fine. I know how long women tend to take in the bathroom.” He turned to the backdrop, standing behind the camera pointed at it. “Now let’s get to the shoot, shall we?” With a nod of her head, Serena carefully left her belongings near the door and stood in front of the camera.

“Of course. Is there anything you need me to do? Any specific pose?”

“No. I just need to catch every side, so if you could just stand still and turn to your left after I take a picture, that’d be perfect.”

She did as she was told, letting Kamski take a picture of every side of her. Afterwards, she felt mentally exhausted. There was only a scrap of her dignity left. Chloe draped a long, black towel over her shoulders that brushed the floor.

“These photos should be sufficient.” he remarked, looking over the pictures he took. “Good work, Ms. Branwen.” He met her gaze. “Now I don’t mean to be impolite, but I’m expecting company soon, so I need you to get going. As for your payment,” He took a high-tech tablet from Chloe and seemed to be doing something on it. “I’ve just transferred around $15,000 to your bank account at Harman Bank.” Those numbers took her aback and her blue eyes widened in awe. She never came close to making those kinds of numbers before, even taking multiple jobs. “I also called a taxi to come take you home in advance, so please go wait for it outside. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

“I-I could say the same. Thank you very much, Mr. Kamski.” If androids had lasers for eyes, Chloe could very well burn a giant hole through her skull. A cab could be heard honking outside too, so it was wise for her to hurry up.

In a rush to leave, she completely forgot about her mother’s locket, now left on top of Kamski’s bathroom counter.

* * *

In the cab, she changed back into her clothes and bundled the swimsuit in the black towel, planning to secretly stow it in her work locker. She left the cab and entered the precinct, feeling calm and level-headed. That feeling was thrown out seeing her uncle and Connor, about to knock right into her. Of course, the two noticed her immediately. Hank approached her, no doubt with questions about her second job, with Connor awkwardly following like the adorable little bean he was.

“Hey, Serena! How did things go?”

“It was great.” Connor gave her a doubtful expression. She returned it with her own that said “please-don’t”. He surprisingly kept his mouth shut.

“What’s that?” he asked, obviously addressing the black bundle tucked under her arm.

“Nothing. Just something they had me wear.”

“Wait… they made you change?”

“It’s just a swimsuit, Uncle. A one-piece, so don’t get your underwear in a knot.” Hank still seemed unhappy. “Anyways, forget about me, what about you? Where are you guys heading? You have a case?”

“Yes, we’re about to head to Stratford Tower now.” Connor replied. She was so glad he was no longer hiding things from her, telling her it was “classified” and such.

“What happened?”

“A group of androids hijacked the channel to make a public broadcast, demanding that all humans give androids freedom.”

_Freedom._

It was a simple request. She didn’t think too much of it because androids were almost just like humans in her eyes and she treated them as such, but she could see how some people would think it was the start of a revolution. How ridiculous.

“And before you get any cute ideas, you are _not_ allowed to come with us.” her uncle said matter-of-factly.

“Actually, Hank…” Hank and Connor turned around to see the source of the sudden voice. It was Captain Fowler, who just came out from the offices. “I think it’s a swell idea for your niece to accompany you to Stratford.” Hank looked to the ceiling, mouth agape, not believing what he just heard Fowler say.

“ _Kidding me!_ Are you— Are you fucking serious?!”

Despite his partner’s boisterous protest, Connor didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, he appeared happier when Fowler suggested Serena come.

“I am completely serious, Hank. I’ve been watching her work, since it was you who recommended her in the first place, and I’m impressed. I think she’d make a fine policewoman, if only she had the right experience and what better than getting it firsthand directly from the field with you and Connor to help her along the way?”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about _not_ letting her come and possibly risk her life for some possible job?”

“Serenity’s her own woman, Hank, and you should learn to accept that. If you want to be a cop, you’re going to be risking your life 24/7 to protect the people on the streets.”

“But she doesn’t even want to be a cop! She’s a writer, for fuck’s sake!” Oh sure, now that he was arguing against her coming along with them, he gets her aspirations right.

“I don’t know, Uncle Hank. I might be a writer, I might be a cop, but if I never get ‘out there’, how can I ever tell?”

Hank looked between his niece and Fowler before appearing to look to Connor for help. “Well, are you gonna help me out here?”

“Actually—” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because Hank interrupted him, knowing his decision already.

“Okay,  _fine._ Fuck _all_ of you. Serena, get your shit and let’s go.” said Hank, throwing his hands up in defeat and storming out of the precinct.

“I’m going to put this in my locker. I’ll be right out!” she told Connor, who nodded and waited for her as she sprinted to the lockers and put the black bundle in hers. “Thanks for waiting!” He smiled in response. God, he was so cute. She took one glance at the captain at the front desk and waved at him. “Thank you, Captain Fowler!” The middle-aged man put up a hand in response, apparently too busy to speak.

With a spring in her step, Serena nearly skipped out of the station and over to her uncle’s old car in the parking lot with a content Connor in tow.


End file.
